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GENEALOGICAL RECORD 


OP THE 

FAMILY OF THOMAS 

COMPILED 

FROM PAPERS IN POSSESSION OF DR. J. HANSON THOMAS. 

BY 

DOUGLAS H. THOMAS, 

. w 

Baltimore, 1875. 



BALTIMORE: 

CHARLES HARVEY & CO., BOOK AND JOB PRINTERS. 
Corner South and German Street?. 

1875. 







GENEALOGICAL RECORD. 



The first settlers in this country of our family of Thomas, 
were James and Samuel Thomas ; they were from Wales, 
and emigrated during the reign of Queen Ann, settling in 
Kent County, Maryland. The records in our possession 
show them to have been men of wealth and high standing. 

Samuel died unmarried, leaving his property to two of his 
nephews. James was twice married ; his first wife being an 
English lady, who emigrated with him ; his second wife was 
named Hacket, a respectable family of English origin : they 
had several children, among whom was James , who married 
Miss Elizabeth Bellicum, whose ancestors were from Hol- 
land, and were - among the first settlers on the Delaware, in 
the County of New Castle, at that time in the Pennsylvania 
Government. 

James and Elizabeth Thomas had issue Philip, William, 
Sarah and Rebecca. Mrs. Thomas married twice, Farrell 
being the name of her last husband, by whom she had three 
sons. 

William Thomas is mentioned as having been a great 
Latin, Greek and Hebrew scholar. He died at the age of 
19, being at the time closely engaged on the study of 
medicine. 

Sarah and Rebecca both died young and unmarried. 

Philip Thomas was born in Chestertown, Kent County, 
Maryland, June nth, 1747. He was married on the 18th 
February, 1773, to Miss Jane Contee Hanson, by Rev. 


/ 


4 


Doctor McKenon of the Episcopal Church, at Frederick- 
town, Maryland. Philip Thomas studied medicine under 
Dr. Van Dyke, of Philadelphia, and practiced in Frederick 
County. . He was a very prominent representative man of his 
times. He was Chairman of the Committee of Safety during 
the Revolutionary war ; was also one of the Electors of 
General Washington to the first Presidency, and likewise 
the first President of the Medical Society of Maryland — 
besides filling numerous other positions of trust. He died 
the 25th day of April, 1815, aged 67, and is buried at Fred- 
erick, (for copy of epitaph, see page His wife, Mrs. 

Jane Contee Thomas, died 17th day of June, 1781, aged 34 
years. 

Mrs. Philip Thomas’ family on the paternal side (Hanson), 
although originally English, immigrated from Sweden. 
About the year 1592 one of the Hansons, whilst taking a 
tour through Sweden, married a Swedish lady, who was 
closely connected in friendship, at least, with the Royal 
Family. She died after giving birth to a son, in 1594. Her 
family assumed the care of the infant, who in consequence 
grew up in familiar intimacy with Gustavus Adolphus. He 
entered the army, and was duly commissioned a Colonel, 
being specially retained near the Royal Person in action. 
In the meantime his father died. In 1626 Gustavus Adol- 
phus contemplated sending a colony to America, but his 
d-esigns were never accomplished, as the German wars pre- 
sently engaged all the attention and energies of the King 
of Sweden. 

Gustavus Adolphus was slain in battle at Lutzen 16th 
November, 1632, and by his side fell Colonel Hanson, leaving 
four sons, namely : Andrew, Randel, (or Randolph), William 
and John Hanson, who were taken under the immediate pro- 
tection of the Royal Family. 


5 


In 1642 Queen Christina placed them in the special care 
of Lieutenant-Colonel John Printz, Governor of New 
Sweden, with whom they came to the Delaware, where a 
colony was formed, occupying the present State of Dela- 
ware. 

The Swedish colony was invaded and broken up by one 
of the Dutch Governors of the New Netherland Colony. 
After the fall of the Colonial Government several of the 
Swedes took refuge and settled in the neighboring colony 
of Lord Baltimore. This in the year 1653. 

Among the refugees were the four Hansons. Andrew 
settled in Kent County, and died in 1655, leaving a widow 
and four small children. 

Randolph Hanson settled in St. Mary’s County, but aTter- 
wards removed to Charles, where he died. His will is dated 
September 28th, 1696, and is preserved, and in the custody 
of the Register of Wills for Anne Arundel County. He 
left one child — a girl. 

William Hanson finally settled in Kent County. He died 
in 1684, leaving a widow, but no children. 

John Hanson settled in Charles County, and died in 1713, 
or thereabouts. His will, likewise preserved, is dated 12th 
December, 1713. He had seven children — Robert, John, 
Samuel , Benjamin, Mary, Ann and Sarah. 

Samuel Hanson’s will is dated 1740. He had the follow- 
ing children : Walter, John , Samuel, William (who was Ex- 
aminer General of Maryland), Elizabeth, Charity, Jane and 
Chloe. 

Samuel was a member of the Legislature of Maryland, 
.and it is related of him that he presented General Wash- 
ington 800 pounds sterling silver to cover the bare feet of his 
soldiers with shoes. Samuel devised to his sons Samuel, J ohn 
and his wife Elizabeth certain valuable real estate. He held 


6 


several posts of high distinction, including the Commissary, 
and also the Clerk of Charles County, positions at that 
period considered highly honorable. 

John Hanson, the son of the preceding Samuel, married 
Jane Contee, daughter of Alexander Contee, and had issue 
Catharine Contee, Jane Contee, Alexander Contee, Eliza- 
beth, John, Samuel, Peter Contee, and Grace. 

Jane Contee Hanson married Dr. Philip Thomas. Catha- 
rine Contee Hanson married Philip Alexander, who prac- 
ticed law, and was possessed of that valuable property called 
Alexander’s Island, above Alexandria. They died without 
issue. 

Alexander Contee Hanson, Chancellor of Maryland, mar- 
ried Miss Rebecca Howard, of Annapolis, and had issue two 
sons and a daughter, namely: Charles Wallace and Alex- 
ander Contee. 

Charles Wallace Hanson was Associate Judge for the 6th 
Judicial District of Maryland from 1817 to 1832. He mar- 
ried Miss Rebecca Ridgely, of Hampton. He died De- 
cember 8th, 1853. 

The daughter of the Chancellor married Thomas Peabody 
Grosvenor, of New York, a distinguished member of the 
House of Representatives, about 1810-1815. He died in 
1815, and his wife in 1817. 

Alexander Contee Hanson, (Junior), married Miss Pris- 
cilla Dorsey, and had several children, the only one surviv- 
ing at this present is Charles Grosvenor Hanson, who mar- 
ried Miss Annie M. Worthington, by whom he had several 
children. 

John Hanson, the son of Samuel , was a member of the 
House of Delegates of Maryland for a number of years, and 
member of Continental Congress 1781-82. He presented 
his credentials 22d February, 1781, and on the 5th Novem- 



7 


ber following was elected President, which position he filled 
with distinguished credit to himself and marked satisfaction 
v of Congress, receiving the thanks of Congress for his ser- 
vices November 4th, 1782. 

John Hanson, with Daniel Carroll, under instructions 
from the Legislature of Maryland, signed the Articles of 
Confederation March 1st, 1781. 

General Washington was received by Congress on 28th 
November, 1781, and was gracefully welcomed by President 
Hanson in a speech remarkable for dignified modesty, hearti- . 
ness and terseness. The speech and General Washington’s 
reply, together with sundry letters from the same, will be 
found in Spark’s Life of Washington. 

Of the early life of John Hanson but little is now remem- 
bered, beyond few incidents, which display great decision of 
character, and moral intrepidity, in a time “ which tried 
men’s souls.” In the early part of the Revolutionary war 
some high toned and decided resolutions were proposed in 
the House of Delegates, of which he was a member, and 
when the question was put, there was an awful pause, mem- 
bers hesitating to stake their heads and fortunes by any 
hasty or overt action, then at the critical moment, John 
Hanson rose, and said: “Mr. President, these resolutions 
ought to pass, it is high time.” With these few words he 
sat down, and the resolutions were passed amidst much en- 
thusiasm. He died November, 1783, aged 68, at “ Oxen 
Hill,” the residence of his nephew, opposite Alexandria, 
Virginia, whilst paying him a visit. His wife, Jane Contee 
Hanson, died February 21st, 1812, aged 85 years. 

Alexander Contee Hanson, son of John , was Assistant 
Private Secretary to General Washington, from which ill 
health obliged him to retire after two months service, Alex- 
ander Hamilton being Secretary at the time. He was like- 


8 


wise one of the first Judges of the General Court of Mary- 
land, under the Constitution of 1776. A visitor of St. 
John’s College, then in its palmy days, was appointed, with 
Judge Samuel Chase, and perhaps Mr. Pinkney, to compile 
the laws of Maryland ; they refusing the appointment, he 
compiled “ Hanson’s Laws,” which were used for years, and 
I believe are still in use. In 1788 he was a delegate to the 
Convention for the adoption of the Constitution of the 
United States. He was offered the appointment of District 
Judge of Maryland by General Washington, but it was re- 
fused. (Spark’s Life of Washington, vol. x., page 56). In 
1789 he was made Chancellor of Maryland, which position 
he held at the time of his death, which occurred in 1806. 
In 1789 he was appointed by the Legislature to complete a 
Testamentary System. 

Chancellor Hanson was a writer of great force, and several 
of the leading questions of his period were most ably han- 
dled by him, under the sobriquet of “Aristides,” several of 
which have been carefully preserved by the “ Maryland 
Historical Society,” under the name of “Hanson Pamph- 
lets.” 

Samuel Hanson, son of President Hanson, studied medi- 
cine under Dr. Philip Thomas, and served as surgeon of 
General Washington’s Life Guards. He died after serving 
one campaign. 

Peter Contee Hanson, at tfye age of 18. was Lieutenant in 
1st Battalion Maryland Infantry, Major Otho H. Williams 
commanding. He was mortally wounded whilst bravely 
fighting at Fort Washington. 

Alexander Contee Hanson, son of the Chancellor, was 
like his father gifted with a fine intellect, highly cultivated 
by reading. He was also the recipient of numerous posi- 
tions of trust and honor, including Senator of the United 


9 


States 1 8 1 6, and member of the Maryland Legislature 
i 811-15. 

He was the Lt&tor of the Federal Republican during the 
war of 1812-14, and being opposed thereto, he made him- 
self obnoxious to the democracy, who on the 20th of June, 
1812, mobbed his office, situated northwest corner of Gay 
and Second Streets, and destroyed his. presses, types, etc. 
This caused a temporary suspension of the paper ; but 
gathering together some kindred spirits, among them Gen- 
eral James M. Lingan, General Harry Lee, Capt. Richard 
J. Crabb, Dr. P. Warfield, Charles J. Kilgour, Otho Sprigg, 
Ephraim Gaither, John Howard Payne, and others, he forti- 
fied himself in a house belonging to Mr. Wagner, one of the 
editors, on Charles Street, south of Lombard, and issued 
his paper simultaneously in Baltimore and Georgetown. 

This so infuriated his opponents that they again mobbed 
him, but the garrison ably defended themselves, killing one 
and wounding others of the assailants, one or two mortally. 
General Strieker, commanding the militia, advised them to 
retire from their position, offering them military protection. 

Hanson was opposed to any such action, but he was out- 
voted by his friends, and they retired, under escort, to the 
City Jail for protection, but were here inhumanly deserted 
by General Strieker. After the departure of the military, 
the mob broke into the Jail, being assisted by others within, 
and made an attack upon the party placed there for protec- 
tion. The mob was led by a man named Mumma, to whom 
most of the Hanson party were known, these he pointed 
out f6r the fury of the mob, who beat them, threw them 
down the stairs, where they lay in a heap for three hours. 
During all this time the mob continued to torture their 
mangled bodies ; by beating them, sticking pen-knives in 
their hands and faces, opening their eyes and dropping hot 
2 


candle greese in them, and also by applying lighted fagots 
to their wounds. General Lingen was killed ; Hanson after 
standing all these tests, was left for dead by the Mob, who 
dispersed to break into the Post Office, where the issue of 
the Federal Republican was awaiting mailing; he was se- 
cretly carried to “ Belvidere,” Col. John Eager Howard’s 
house, near the Jail, and so soon as he was able to bear it, 
he was carried under an escort of his friends to Frederick. 
(For full particulars of the Mob, see “Chronicles of Balti- 
more,” by Scharf.) 

P’resentments were found against many individuals of each 
party, but all were acquitted and discharged. These mobs 
and outrages contributed not a little to the political revolu- 
tion, which within three months, gave the Federalists a large 
majority in the Maryland Assembly, by whom Alex. Contee 
Hanson was chosen a member of Congress. He continued 
the publication of his paper in Georgetown for some time 
after the mob. Alexander Contee Hanson had a duel with 
Captain Charles Gordon, U. S. N., whom he wounded. 

Mrs. Philip Thomas’ family, (on the maternal side Contee,) 
were originally from Rochelle, France, but being Protestants, 
emigrated to England during the reign of Louis XIVth. 
Adolphe de Contee was High Sheriff of London and Mid- 
dlesex in 1643. The motto under his “Arms” in Guild Hall 
London, is “ Pour Dieu et mon Roi.” In the French Her- 
aldric work, called “ La Franco Genealogique,” the name is 
written “ De Contee of Rochelle,” and has the title of Vis- 
count attached. It also appears there are three other fami- 
lies of Contie and Conte in France, all evidently having the 
same origin, Marquis of Graviers, Count de Noirantof Nor- 
\ mandy, and the Baron de Conte of Orange ; they all have 
the same arms. 

The first Contees of whom we have ancestral record, are 


1 1 

Peter Contee and Catharine his wife, who lived in Barnstable, 
Devonshire, England. 

Their son Alexander r whom it appears by the Parish Re- 
cords, was baptized “ ye 22d day of April, 1693,” accompanied 
by his Uncle, John Contee, emigrated to America and settled 
in Prince George’s County, Maryland, of which county Alex- 
ander was Clerk, a position of prominence at that period. 

He married Miss Jane , and had issue, John, Peter, 

Thomas. Alexander, Jane , Katherine and Grace. In his 
will, dated 1739, he bequeaths a very extensive real and per- 
sonal estate, also mourning rings of a guinea’s value to Dan- 
iel Dulany, Edward Jennings, eminent lawyers of the Pro- 
vincial bar, and also to Philip Key, ancestor of Francis Scott 
Key, author of the “ Star Spangled Banner,” with the in- 
scription.: “ Remember A Contee.” In his will he mentions 
, some silver, which at this writing, is possessed in beautiful 
preservation by Dr. John Hanson Thomas, and consists of 
a small tea pot, cream jug, a sugar box with a spoon and 
stand, and small waiter, they bear the full coat of arms, 
and have the Tower of London stamp upon them, indi- 
cating the date of manufacture, 1620. A large punch bowl, 
part of the same service, is now in possession of Charles S. 
Contee of Prince Gebrge County. The testator desires in 
his will to be buried according to the services of the “ Eng- 
lish Church,” and gives a guinea apiece to the Rectors of 
St. Paul’s Church, Prince George County, and Port Tobacco 
Church, Charles County, to preach a funeral Sermon on “Ye 
Folly and Danger of ye death-bed repentance.” 

The will of the Honorable Colonel John Contee, brother 
of Peter Contee of Barnstable, and one of the first immi- 
grants, is dated 1706 or 1709; the only positions he held, as 
far as I am aware, were Colonel of the Militia, and member 
of the Council of State. His will throws so much light up- 


on society of that period that especial reference is made 
thereto. (See page .) 

He bequeaths lands in Maryland to his brother Peter, and 
also to his mother, Mrs. Grace Contee, and gives 20,000 lbs. 
of Tobacco, in casks, then a part of the currency of the 
Province, for the use of the Ministry, also mourning rings 
to his friends. 

Jane Contee, the daughter of Alexander , married John Hari- 
son ; Jane Contee Hanson, their daughter, married Dr. Philip 
Thomas , and had issue besides those who died in infancy, 
Catherine, Rebecca Bellicum, and John Hanson Thomas ; 
Catharine Hanson Thomas married Dr. Ashton Alexander, 
and had issue Ashton, George and Elizabeth ; George married 
Miss Levering; Rebecca Bellicum married Judge Alexander 
Contee Magruder, and had issue, Rebecca Thomas Magruder, 
who married Major Scott, U. S. A.; Jane, who married 
Mr. Byias, John Hanson Thomas Magruder, State Librarian, 
Annapolis, and Philip Magruder. 

John Hanson Thomas married Miss Mary Isham Colston, 
daughter of Rawleigh Colston, of Honeywood, Berkeley 
G6unty, Virginia, on October 5th, 1809. 

' Mrs. Thomas’ family, (on the Paternal side Colston,) were 
English, the first immigrant was William^ brother of Edward j 
Colston of Bristol, England, the great Philanthropist ; they 
were descended by a long line of Ancestry, from Robert de 
Colston of Colston Hall, in the County of Lincoln, living at 
the time of the Conquest, many of whose descendants were 
Knights. Rowland de Colston of Colston, married the 
daughter of Sir Thomas Winterburen, Knight, and had is- 
sue two sons : Thomas of Colston and James, from the latter 
through a descent of nine generations this branch of the 
family, that of Preston Mercer descended. 

Edward and William were sons of William Colston of 


13 


Bristol, who was largely engaged in the Spanish and Levan- 
tine trade, to which his son Edward fell heir, and by it 
amassed an enormous fortune, which he employed in reliev- 
ing the afflicted. He founded several Hospitals, Alms 
Houses, Charity Schools, etc., all of which I had Photo- 
graphed, through the kindness of the Post Master at Bristol. 

His statue in marble is deposited in All Saints’ Church, 
Bristol, where a sermon is annually preached, accompanied 
by the sound of muffled bells. 

William migrated to America, and was Clerk of Rap- 
pahannock County, Virginia ; he had a son named Wil- 
liam and some daughters; William had two sons : William 
and Charles', Charles married Miss Susan Traverse, and had 
issue Traverse and Susanna, who married Mr. Eustice, and 
died without issue. Traverse married for his first wife Miss 
Alice Corbin Griffin, daughter of Colonel Thomas Griffin, of 
Richmond County, Virginia, by whom he had issue Charles 
and Elizabeth Griffin Colston ; Charles married Miss Ann 
Fauntleroy; Elizabeth married Colonel Wm. Peachy of 
Richmond County, Virginia. 

Traverse Colston married for his second wife Susanna 
Opie, then the widow of a Mr. Kenner, and had the follow- 
ing issue : Traverse, who died under age, William, Rawleigh , 
and Samuel, who was a Captain during the Revolutionary 
War, and died unmarried; William inter-married with Miss 
Lucy Carter, daughter of Colonel Landon Carter, of Sabine 
Hall, in the County of Richmond, and had issue William, 
Traverse, Elizabeth and Susanna. 

Rawleigh Colston married Miss Elizabeth Marshall, daugh- 
ter of Colonel Thomas Marshall of Fauquier County, Vir- 
ginia, afterwards of Kentucky. 

The family of Mrs . Mary Isham Thomas, (on the Mater- 
nal side Marshall,) were from Wales; they settled in West- 


14 


moreland County, Virginia; the first of whom we have an- 
cestral record is John Marshall, who married Miss Markham ; 
they had issue nine children of whom Thomas was the oldest ; 
he married Miss Mary Keith, daughter of a Clergyman, who 
migrated from Scotland and intermarried with Miss Ran- 
dolph of James River. 

Thomas Marshall and Mary, his wife, had fifteen children, 
John, Thomas, James, William, Charles, Alexander, Lewis, 
Elizabeth , Anna Maria, Judith, Lucy, Susan, Charlotte, Jane 
and Nancy, all of whom married. 

John Marshall was the oldest, he was educated at home, 
under the directions of his father, who was a planter and a 
surveyor. 

From his infancy John Marshall was destined for the Bar, 
but the contest between the Mother Country and her Col- 
onies drew him from his studies, and in September 1775 he 
entered the Continental Service as a subaltern ; he continued 
in the army until 1781, when being without a command 
he resigned his commission. In 1782 he was elected to 
the Virginia Legislature, and in the fall of the year was 
chosen a member of the Executive Council of State, which 
he resigned in 1784 and practiced law, at which he continued 
declining any other public office than a seat in the Legisla- 
ture, until the year 1797, when he was associated with Gen- 
eral Pinkney and Mr. Gerry in a mission to France. In 1798 
he returned to the United States, and in the Spring of 1799 
he was elected a member of Congress, a candidate for which, 
much against his inclination, he was induced to become at 
the request of General Washington. At the close of the 
first session he was nominated, first to the Department of 
War, and afterwards to that of State, which last office he ac- 
cepted and occupied until 1801, when he was made Chief 
Justice of the United States by President John Adams, 


i5 

which position he held at the time of his death. As regards 
Chief Justice Marshall’s legal decisions and purity of char- 
acter, I say nothing, for they will be ever remembered by the 
people of this country. 

I have frequently heard my father narrate little anecdotes 
of the Chief, at whose house he repeatedly staid when in 
Richmond. Showing his childlike modesty and simplicity, 
he frequently recalls the time the Chief and himself would 
pitch quoits together, in which the former took great pleas- 
ure. He would take off his coat, and would be just as par- 
ticular in measuring the score, as if weighing evidence in the 
most important legal case. 

Chief Justice Marshall married on 3rd January, 1783, Miss 
Mary Willis Ambler, the second daughter of Jacquilin Amb- 
ler, then Treasurer of Virginia,^who was the third son of Mr. 
Richard Ambler, who migrated from England, and settled in 
Yorktown, Virginia. 

Elizabeth , daughter of Col. Thomas Marshall, intermarried 
with Rawleigh Colston, of “ Honeywood,” and had issue 
Edward, Susan, Mary I sham, Thomas Marshall, Rawleigh 
Traverse, Lucy Ann, and John James Marshall. 

Edw r ard married for his first wife Miss Jane Marshall ; his 
second, Miss Jane Brockenborough, and had issue by her — 
Elizabeth, Jane, Mary, Rawleigh, William, Lucy, Judith and 
Edward. 

Susan Colston married B. Watkins Leigh, and had issue 
William, who married Miss Mary White Colston, and Mary 
Susan, who married Conway Robinson. Lucy Ann and 
John died single. Thomas Marshall Colston married Miss 
Elizabeth Fisher, and had issue Rawleigh, Nancy and 
Elizabeth. 

Rawleigh Traverse Colston, son of Rawleigh, married 
Mrs. Kellerman, the widow of the Duke Valmey, one of 





6 


Napoleon’s Marshals, but had no children — although one 
was claimed by Mrs. Colton as the issue of their marriage. 
He was named Rawleigh Edward, and was for several years 
an inmate of Edward Colston’s house at Honeyjvood. His 
supposed mother on her death-bed made known to her hus- 
band the fraud she had practiced on him — Rawleigh Edward 
Colston, as he was named, being some one else’s child, and 
and not hers. He became a State cadet at the Virginia 
Military Institute, Lexington, by the influence of Edward 
Colston, and was a General in the Confederate States ser- 
vice. In 1873 he attached himself to the Egyptian service 
with other American officers. 

Mary Isliani Colston married John Hanson Thomas, October 
5, 1809, and had issue Philip Hanson, born September 10th, 
1810, died November nth, 1821; Rawleigh Colston, born 
1 2th August, 1812, died June 16th, 1826; Charles Edward, 
born 23d September, 1813, being the only child who reached 
manhood. His name was subsequently changed by an Act 
of the Legislature to that of his father, John Hanson 
. Thomas. 

John Hanson Thomas,- the son of Philip, was a most tal- 
ented man, and a most eloquent speaker. On one occasion 
he was opposed to Mr. Pinkney in a politicaUcontest or 
debate, which took place at a meeting by appointment. Of 
course every one flocked to hear the great Pinkney, 
and he spoke first, and was followed by John Hanson 
Thomas, who so completely discomforted Mr. Pinkney, that 
he left the meeting, although challenged to stand and 
make his defence. He eagerly sought his horse, and failed 
to keep the remaining appointments. 

John Hanson Thomas held several positions of trust and 
honor, among them Chairman of the Committee of Defence 
1812-14. Was a member of the State Legislature. He was 

l 


7 


the person selected by the Federalists of Maryland, who 
were in the ascendancy, to be elected to the United States 
Senate, but dying before the time, Alexander Contee Hanson, 
his cousin, was elected. He died May 2d, 1 8 1 5, being exactly 
one week after the death of his father, from whom he con- 
tracted the same disease, whilst faithfully attending him 
during his sickness. They are both buried in Frederick. 
(For epitaph, see page .) 

John Hanson Thomas, son of John Hanson Thomas, 
was born in Frederick, Maryland, and raised -in Virginia. 
He came to Baltimore 23d September, 1834, his 21st 
birthday, and entered Dr. Alexander’s office, where he 
remained a few months and attended lectures that winter, 
and was appointed one of the resident students of the 
Baltimore Infirmary, graduating in March, 1836, but prac- 
ticed medicine but a short time. 

He was married by the Rev. Dr. Maguire on the 15th 
November, 1837, to Miss Annie Campbell Gordon, daughter 
of Bazil, and Anna Campbell Gordon, of Falmouth, Vir- 
ginia, and had issue Basil Gordon, born April 14, 1839; 
John Hanson, September 21, 1841 ; Raleigh Colston, Octo- 
ber 8, 1844; Douglas Hamilton, January 1, 1847; Nannie 
Gordon, May 20, 1849; Mary Randolph, October 10, 1851, 
and John Marshall/December 5, 1853. 

Dr. Johfi Hanson Thomas has been identified with the 
interests of the City of Baltimore since his removal thereto. 
He was a member of the City Council, State Legislature, 
and President of the Farmers’ and Merchants’ Bank for 34 
years, besides filling other positions of trust and honor, in- 
cluding directorship in Insurance Companies, and President 
of the Academy of Music. 

During the war 1861-64, when a member of the Legisla- 
ture, he with ten others were arrested on 12th September, 
3 

! J = 


1 8 

1 86 1 , and confined in various United States Forts for six 
months. 

John Hanson Thomas, Junior, married Miss Mary Howard 
Beirne, daughter of Hon. George P. Beirne, of Huntsville, 
Alabama. His wife died October 7, 1867, leaving a son — 
Howard Beirne Thomas, born 26th September, 1867. 

Raleigh Colston Thomas married Miss Mary McDonald, 
daughter of William McDonald of “Guilford,” Baltimore 
County, November 25, 1868, and has issue Mary McDonald, 
born January 30, 1872 ; Raleigh Colston, born 5th August, 
1875. 

Douglas Hamilton Thomas was married by the Rev. Drs. 
Milo Mahan and Dudley, January 25th, 1870, to Miss Alice 
Lee, daughter of Dr. John and Catharine C. Whitridge, of 
Baltimore, and has issue Douglas Hamilton, born 5th 
March, 1872. 

Mary Randolph married John N. Carroll, of the “ Caves,” 
Baltimore County, April 2 1st, 1870, and has issue John 
Nicholas, born 4th March, 1871, and Charles, born July 17th, 
1872. 

Mrs. John Hanson Thomas’ family, (on the Paternal side 
Gordon,) were from Scotland. 

The first of whom we have Ancestral Record is Samuel 
Gordon, who was born in 1656. He married Margaret McKin- 
nell, they lived at “ Stockerton,” in the Parish of Kirkcud- 
bright, Scotland ; he was the first of the name on Stockerton 
farm, where he died 15th of April, 1732, aged 76. His cir- 
cumstances were comfortable as a respectable farmer, but 
nothing is positively known as to his parentage, only, that in 
some way he was related to the families of Lord Kenmuir, 
and the Gordons of Greenlaw, and was visited by both fam- 
ilies, especially by Sir Alexander and Lady Gordon of 
Greenlaw. 


9 


John Gordon , son of Samuel, married Miss Grace Newall ; 
he died August 23d, 1738, aged 56 years. 

Samuel Gordon , the first of Lochdougan, son of John, 
married Miss Nicholas Brown, daughter of John Brown of 
Craigen Callie, and Margaret McClamrock of Craigen Bay, 
and was the last person baptized by Rev. James Renwick, 
who was beheaded at the Cross of Edinburgh. Mrs. Nicho- 
las Brown Gordon was from the Carsluth family, her grand- 
father and Uncle were ministers in the Parish of Kirkina- 
brook. 

Samuel Gordon and his wife Nicholas Brown Gordon of 
“ Lochdougan,” had a large family, many of whom were born 
at “ Stockerton,” before their removal to “Lochdougan.” 
One daughter married Mr. Herron of Kegton, and died, leav- 
ing one son John ; the other daughter married John Bell of 
Gribdae, and died June 3d, 1826, at the age of 77. Samuel 
Gordon died Lebruary 22d, 1799, and his wife November 
1 8th, 1795, aged 71 years. Their oldest son, John, married 
Miss Brown, and at his father’s death inherited the two 
“ Lochdougans.” 

Three younger sons : Samuel, Bazil and Alexander, mi- 
grated to Virginia, where they engaged in mercantile busi- 
ness. Alexander afterward returned to Scotland, and died 
in the year 1819. 

Samuel Gordon married Miss Susannah Knox. 

Bazil Gordon married her sister, Miss Annie Campbell Knox , 
and had issue : Douglas Hamilton, Bazil Brown, Annie Camp- 
bell, Susan, and others, who died young. 

The family of Mrs. John Hanson Thomas , (on the Mater- 
nal side Knox,) were from Scotland ; the first of whom that 
came to this country, were William Knox , (Gentleman) 
Robert and John ; their mother’s name was Janet Somerville ; 
father’s name not remembered. Annie Knox, sister of the 


20 


Immigrants, married Mr. Campbell and lived and died in 
Scotland. 

John Knox lived a batchelorat “Orchard Fields,” Stafford 
County, Virginia, were he was murdered by his slaves, whom 
he had promised to set free by his will, some 150 in number, 
and which not being made at the time of his death, they 
were inherited by his brother William. 

Robert Knox settled in Maryland, were he married and 
had issue, but all traces of them are lost. 

The Knoxes owned large landed property in Virginia, con- 
sisting of, “ Windsor Lodge,” Culpepper County, “ Berry 
Hill,” Stafford County, “ Orchard Fields,” Stafford County, 
“ Bellmont,” same County, (where most of the old mem- 
bers of the family are buried,) “ Smiths. Mount,” and “ Van- 
cluse,” in Westmoreland County. 

William Knox, of “ Windsor Lodge,” in 1766, married Miss 
Susannah, only daughter of Thomas Fitzhugh, Sr., (Gentle- 
man) of “ Boscobel,” Stafford County; her mother’s name 
was Sarah Stuart, of King George County, a descendant of 
the Royal Stuarts. It is a rather remarkable fact that the 
Knoxes of Virginia, who were of the same Clan as John Knox, 
the Reformer, should become allied by marriage, and mingle 
their blood with the Mary Stuart, whom he so bitterly de- 
tested. 

William and Susannah Knox had issue r Dr. Thomas Fitz- 
hugh, Susannah Fitzhugh, Agnes, Annie Campbell, Jessie, 
Sarah Stuart, Caroline, William A., and John Somerville 
Knox. 

Dr. Thomas Fitzhugh Knox married Miss Mary Reiley, 
daughter of James Reiley of Winchester, by Miss McBryde 
of Delaware ; they had issue: Henry Knox, Ann Somerville, 
Thomas Fitzhugh, William Henry and James McBryde. 

Susannah Knox married Samuel Gordon of “ Kenmuir,” 


21 

and died ioth July, 1869, aged 94; they had issue: William 
Knox, Samuel, Alexander, John, Baziland Wellington, Mary, 
wife of Dr. John H. Wallace of Fredericksburg, Agnes, wife 
of C. Hughes Armstead of Baltimore, and Susan, widow of 
Mr. Ryan of Baltimore. 

Agnes Knox married Samuel Gordon, nephew of Samuel 
and Bazil Gordon ; they lived at the old family place/* Loch- 
dougan,” for some time, but afterwards settled near Falmouth, 
Virginia; they had issue: John, Samuel, William, Bazil and 
Marian, who married Edmund Taylor of Caroline County, 
Virginia ; Bazil was a very celebrated Engineer and built the 
High Bridge, near Farmville, Virginia. He was afterwards 
killed in St. Louis, Mo., by two deserters from the United 
States fort ; their object being money, large sums of which he 
had been collecting for several weeks, and which he had sent 
away the night before his murder ; the murderers were after- 
wards hanged. 

A?mie Campbell Knox married Bazil Gordon , of Falmouth. 
Virginia, and had issue as already stated. 

Jessie Knox married William Edward Voss, and lived in 
Rappahannock County, Virginia; they had issue: William, 
Robert, Benjamin Franklin, and Susan, who married Mr. 
Richard Norris, of Baltimore. 

Sarah Stuart Knox and Caroline both died unmarried. 

William A. Knox married Miss Sarah Alexander, and had 
issue: Agnes Gordon, William, Henry, Mary Eliza, Jessie, 
Bolivar, and Annie Bell Knox. Agnes Gordon married Mr. 
James T. Soutter; who by right of birth was heir of the ; 
Marquisate and Earldom of Annandale, of Scotland, who, 
although frequently pressed by lawyers from Temple Bar, 
to apply for his rights, steadfastly refused. 

John Somerville Knox married Miss Elizabeth Selden, 
and had issue: Churchill, Annie, John, Janet, and Robert. 


22 


Douglas Hamilton Gordon, son of Bazil and Annie Camp- 
bell Gordon, married Miss Mary Ellen Clarke, daughter of 
Colin Clarke, of Glouchester, Virginia; had issue: Ellen D. 
Gordon. 

His second wife was Miss Ann Eliza, daughter of J. 
Hampden Pleasants of Richmond; have issue, now living: 
Bazil, Douglas H., Mary, Annie Campbell, and Rose Stanly 
Gordon. 

Bazil Brown Gordon married Miss Elizabeth Bolling Skip- 
with, daughter of Henry Skipwith, April 24th, 1840; had 
issue: Bazil F., born February 10th, 1841, and Henry Skip- 
with, born October 25th, 1844. Bazil B. Gordon died October 
9th, 1846, and his son Bazil F., March 9th, 1866. 

Henry Skipwith Gordon married Miss Mary T. Wheeler, 
of Washington ; and had issue : Bazil, born October 5th, 
1866, and Henry Skipwith, born August 25th, 1868. Henry 
Skipwith Gordon was married January 9th, 1866. 

The following account of the Thomas family, was written 
by Dr. Philip Thomas, in a Family Bible, which is in the 
possession of Mr. L. Levering, of St. Louis : 


Dr. Phillip . Thomas and Miss Jane Contee Hanson were 
married February 1 8th, 1773, at Fredericktown, Maryland, 
by the Rev. Mr. Daniel McKennon, of the Protestant Epis- 
copal Church ; they being members of that Church, and so 
were the parents of each. They had the following children : 
a female child, born August, 1773, four months premature ; 
James Thomas, born August, 1774, two months premature; 
was baptized, and died three hours after his birth ; Catha- 
rine Hanson Thomas, born October 15th, 1775, eleven 
o’clock at night; Rebecca Bellicum Thomas, born February 


23 


8th, 1777; John Hanson Thomas, born May 16th, 1779; a 
male child, still born January, 1780, five months premature. 

Mrs. Jane Contee Thomas, born in February 1747, in 
Charles County, Maryland, departed this life the 17th June, 
1781, aged 34 years, 5 months. 

Dr. Philip Thomas, born near Chestertown, Kent County, 
on nth June, 1747; his father, James, and his mother, Eliz- 
beth Thomas, (her maiden name Bellicum,) were natives. 
His father was born in Kent County, Maryland, and his 
mother in Cecil or New Castle County. His grand-father 
was an Englishman named Thomas, born in Wales or West 
England ; he and his brother, the latter of whom had no 
children, were among the first settlers in Kent County; they 
came over in the reign of Queen Ann, and were both pos- 
sessed of landed property. One of them said to be a Whig, 
the other a Tory, but lived in fraternal affection and friend- 
ship, and the property of him, (a Colonel of militia,) who 
died without children, descended by his will, to two of his 
nephews, brothers of Philip Thomas’ father. 

Philip Thomas’ grand-father, Bellicum, was from Holland ; 
one of the first settlers on the Delaware, and must have 
been wealthy, leaving a number of children, all of whom 
possessed landed property in County of New Castle, then in j 
the Pennsylvania Government. Philip Thomas’ mother and 
one of her- brothers, Christopher Bellicum, held landed prop- 
erty in Kent County, Maryland. 

Philip Thomas’ grand-father, Thomas, whose name was 
James, (his brother’s name Samuel,) was twice married ; his 
first wife, an English lady, came, in with him, his second-wife, 
grandmother of Philip Thomas, was named Hacket, a re- 
spectable family of English descent. 

Mrs. Jane Contee Thomas’ grandsires on the father’s and 
mother’s side, were Englishmen, possessed valuable real 


property, and were among the first settlers in Prince George 
and Charles Counties, Maryland. Her father, John Hanson, 
was a member of the provincial and State legislatures, more 
than twenty-five years, and was a member of Congress three 
years, the last of which he was President, 1782. 

The name of Mrs. Thomas’ grand-father on the mother’s 
side, was Alexander Contee, although an Englishman him- 
self; his ancestry were from France, (they being Protestants,) 
went over in the life of Lewis 14th. 

The whole of Philip Thomas’ and Jane Contee Thomas’ 
families, as far as he or she had any information, were Pro- 
testant Episcopalians, and so they continue, trusting there is 
no other religious profession better calculated in practice to 
insure happiness here and hereafter, ever yet given to man. 

Philip Thomas had a brother and two sisters (and three 
half-brothers whose name was Farrell,) his mother having 
been twice married ; his full brothers and sisters all died 
single. His brother, whose education was equal to any 
young man’s in that part of the country, (who, after reading 
the Latin and Greek classics, learned the Hebrew language, 
and studied mathematics,) died at the age of 19 years, being 
closely engaged in the study of Physic one year. His genius 
and manners were such as to give his family and very numer- 
ous friends the most flattering hopes of his succeeding in 
his laudable pursuits, to their utmost wishes. His name 
was William. His memory the more revered, from the great 
similitude of genius, morals and manners, which appear in 
his nephew, John Hanson Thomas, to the great comfort and 
delight of the father of the latter. The uncommon distress 
suffered by his father, who was possessed of an uncommon 
strong mind, at the loss of his son, upon whose education 
he had bestowed great care, at a heavy expense, it was sup- 
posed, shortened his own life, which happened not long after- 
wards. 


25 


The two sisters named, were Sarah and Rebecca, beloved 
and amiable, both dying in the bloom of life, unmarried. 

Mrs. Thomas had some brothers and sisters most of whom 
died very young. She had a sister named Catherine Contee, 
who married Philip Alexander, of Virginia, who practiced 
law, and possessed that valuable property called Alexander’s 
Island, above Alexandria. Mrs. Alexander died without 
issue. 

Mrs. Thomas’ eldest brother, Alexander Contee Hanson, 
studied law, after serving in the army, as one of General 
Washington’s Secretaries, from which ill health obliged him 
to retire. He served as one of the Judges of the General 
Court of Maryland, and afterwards as Chancellor, which of- 
fice he held at the time of his decease. Her second brother, 
Dr. Samuel Hanson, who studied under Philip Thomas, died 
after serving one campaign as Surgeon of General Wash- 
ington’s Guards, and was at the battle of Monmouth. Her 
third and youngest brother, Peter Contee Hanson, at the 
age of 19, served as 1st Lieutenant in Captain TJios. Beall’s 
Company, in Rawlin’s Battalion of Riflemen; General Otho 
H. Williams, then Major, which distinguished itself so glo- 
riously, though unfortunately, at Fort Washington, where 
Lieutenant Hanson, bravely fighting, was shot through the 
lungs, and after languishing in a cold out-house, a prisoner, 
expired a few days afterwards. 

Mr. John Farrell, half-brother to Dr. Philip Thomas, died 
at Fredericktown, on Wednesday, 18th November, 2 o’clock, 
P. M., 1812, age about 8i years, having lost his wife' and 
five children, all he had. He had lived with Philip Thomas 
the last twenty-five years of his life. 

I commenced the practice of Physic and Surgery, in Fred- 
ericktown, on 1st August, 1769; after studying four years 
under Dr. Thomas Vandyke, whose talent and vi^ues were 
4 


26 


of sterling worth, and whose instruction and knowledge, 
with kindness to me, are remembered with grateful respect. 

I also attended the professional lectures, and the hospital, 
and a bettering house in Philadelphia, under Professors Bond, 
Shippen and Morgan, from whom I obtained certificates too 
flattering approbatory, to induce me to stay the next season, 
long enough to obtain a formal deploma, as the small patri- 
mony left me by my father required economy. At the same 
time while attending the medical, I attended Dr. Smith’s 
Lectures on Natural and Experimental Philosophy, and ma- 
triculated in the College. 

Signed, PHILIP THOMAS. 

Christmas Day, 1812. 


The following account of the Colston family and its 
branches was written by Rawleigh Colston, of Honeywood, 
in the Family Bible, which is now in the possession of his 
son, Rawleigh Traverse Colston of Virginia : 


As my children may desire to receive some information 
respecting their ancestors since their emigration to Virginia, 

I will here give them such as I received when I was a young 
man, about the year 1768 or 69 : — 

I resided in the County of Richmond, near an aged rela- 
tion, the lady of Colonel John Smith ; her maiden name was 
Colston. She informed me, that the first of that name. and 
family who emigrated to this Country, was William, who had ' 
been bred to the profession of the law, and was the Clerk of 
Rappahannock County — which I believe comprehended the 
Counties now called Essex and Middlesex, on the south 
side of The river, and those of Richmond, Lancaster, and 
| Northumberland on the north side. 


2 ; 


I have seen some of the record books of his office, which 
impressed me with an opinion, that he was well versed in his 
profession. This gentleman, Mrs. Smith informed me, was 
the brother of Edward Colston, of the City of Bristol, in 
Old England, who devoted a large fortune to charities, such 
as building and endowing Alms-Houses, Hospitals, and 
Charity-Schools ; two of which for the maintenance and ed- 
ucation of forty youths of both sexes, were established in 
Bristol, the place of his nativity. 

The scholars of this Institution are always dressed in blue 
clothes, from whence it took the name, “ Blue Coat School,” 
or “ Hospital.” They wear a silver medal, engraved with 
his Arms. (One of which is in the possession of Douglas H. 
Thomas, who obtained it in Bristol, through the kindness of 
his sister; who was there in 1873, and had the pleasure of 
viewing the various charities mentioned.) 

I have seen in this Country several highly respectable gen- 
tlemen who were indebted for their maintenance and educa- 
tion, to this Institution ; which has, no doubt, contributed 
to the happiness of thousands, who have been snatched from 
poverty, ignorance and vice. He was born 1636, I think 
in the month of November, died on his birthday in 1721. 
His remains are deposited in “All, Saints Church,” in Bris- 
tol, where a sermon is annually preached in honor of his 
memory, accompanied by the solemn sound of muffled 
bells. Mention is made of him in a work entitled, “ A Tour 
through England,” and in the “Biographical Dictionary.” 

Mrs. Smith showed me a Copper plate picture of this gen- 
tlemen, elegently framed, to which was annexed his charac- 
ter, and his various charities, printed in letters of gold — to 
show the respect in which he was held in his native city. 

To return to William Colston, the first immigrant, and 
Clerk of Rappahannock. Mrs. Smith informed rr«, he had 


28 


a son named William, and, as well as I can recollect, some 
daughters. This last named William, had two sons, William 
and Charles; and, I believe, some daughters. William was 
the father of Mrs. Smith, and Charles was my grand-father. 
Charles intermarried with Mrs. Susan Traverse, daughter of 
Samuel Traverse, (or William,) and Winefred his wife, who, 

I believe, emigrated from England. The issue of this mar- 
riage was : Traverse, my father, and Susanna, who married a 
gentleman by the name of Eustice, and died without issue. 

Traverse, my father, married for his first wife, Miss Alice 
Corbin Griffin, the daughter of Colonel Thomas Griffin, of 
Richmond County, by whom he had issue : Charles, and 
Elizabeth Griffin. Charles intermarried with Miss Ann 
Fauntleroy, the daughter of Griffin Fauntleroy, of Cherry 
Point, in Northumberland County, by whom he had issue : 
Judith Susan, and Alice Griffin. 

Judith married William Grayham, by whom she had a son 
named Charles, who died under age, and four daughters : 
Nancy, Fannie, Alice and Sally. 

Alice Griffin Colston married Richard Beall, by whom she 
had several children ; one of whom married Mr. Peyton of ! 
London. 

Elizabeth Griffin Colston, sister of Charles, and my half- 
sister, intermarried with Colonel William Peachy of Rich- 
mond County, by whom she had issue : Susanna, the wife of 
Mr. John Nicholson, Merchant of Baltimore, by whom she 
had several children ; William Traverse, the father of Eliza- 
beth Griffin, now living in my family ; Susan, William and 
Thomas, living with Mrs. Nicholson. 

Traverse, my father, married a second wife, whose maiden 
name was Susanna Opie, then the widow of a Mr. Kenner, 
and the mother of Colonel Rodham Kenner, of Kennerly, 
Northumberland County, and one of the best of men. By 
this ladypiy father had the following children : 


29 


Traverse, who died under age; William, Rawleigh, and 
Samuel, who was a Captain in the Revolutionary War, and 
died unmarried ; Willian intermarried with Miss Lucy Car- 
ter, the daughter of Colonel Landon Carter, of Sabine Hall, 
in the County of Richmond ; by whom he had issue: Wil- 
liam Traverse, who had several children, and now resides in 
the County of Frederick ; Elizabeth, who married a Dr. Hall, 
now living in the town of Falmouth ; and Susanna, who 
married Mr. Turner. 

Rawleigh Colston intermarried with Miss Elizabeth Mar- 
shall, the daughter of Colonel Thomas Marshall, who re- 
sided in Fauquier County, but removed to Kentucky. By 
her he had the following child^n : Edward, named after 
Edward Colston, of Bristol, whose memory I highly respect 
for his many charitable works ; Mary Isham, the wife of 
John Hanson Thomas, of Fredericktown, Maryland; Su- 
sanna, Thomas Marshall, Rawleigh Traverse, Lucy Ann, 
and John James Marshall Colston. 

The family of Colston, (on the Maternal side,) written by 
the same as above. 


The first emigrants from England were Samuel or William 
Traverse, and Winefred, his wife, who had issue: William 
Samuel and Rawleigh ; and, I believe, four daughters : Su- 
sannah, my grand-mother ; one married a Mr. Beall ; one 
married a Mr. Tarpley ; and one married Daniel Hornby, of 
Hornby’s Manor, in the County of Richmond, who having 
no issue or relatives in this Country, bequeathed his estate 
to William and Rawleigh Colston ; but the law of entail 
being abolished in the Revolution, it descended, 
the family of William. 


in fee, to 

l 


30 


I believe William Traverse, the son, was Speaker of the 
House of Burgesses, and settled in Jamestown. There is 
still a family there of that name, and I suppose his posterity. 
Samuel and Rawleigh, I believe, died without issue. 

I am inclined to think, that William Colston, the first im- 
migrant, was born about the year 1 6 1 8, and came to this 
Country about 1640, and was Clerk of Rappahannock about 
1645 ; that William, his son, was born about 1665 ; that Wil- 
liam and Charles, his sons, about 1688 and 1690; Traverse, 
the son of Charles, about 1712 ; Charles, the son of Traverse, 
my half-brother, about the year 1736, and myself, on the 
10th May, 1749. 

My father, I suppose, di^d about the year 1752. His will, 
as well as that of his father, I believe, are recorded in the 
County of Northumberland. I think it probable that my 
grand-father, Traverse, was born about the year 1665; my 
grand-mother, about the year 1690; at what period they 
emigrated, I know not. I find from the records in the Land 
Office, that a grant was issued to Samuel Traverse for land 
in Northumberland County in 1690. I think it probable my 
grand-father, William or Samuel, (I am not certain as to the 
Christian name,) came to this Country between 1685 and 
1690. If this conjecture be correct, the family of Colston 
has been in this Country about 170 to 172 years; that of 
Traverse, from 127 to 132 years. 

Signed, RAWLEIGH COLSTON. 
Honeywood, March 24 th, 1812. 


Incidents in the life of Rawleigh Colston, of Honeywood, 
as related by him : 


3 


Supposing it will be agreeable to my children, to be made 
acquainted with some few particulars of. my life, I have 
thought proper to state as follows: — 

I was born on loth May, 1749, at “ Exeter Lodge,” the 
seat of my father, on Yocomico river, in the County of 
Northumberland, in Virginia. Nature bestowed on me a 
sound and vigorous constitution, which was strengthened by 
the active pursuits of my youth. Perhaps few persons ever 
had a more early recollection of events ; I think I can ven- 
ture to affirm, that I still retain a pretty perfect recollection 
of certain circumstances which took place before I was two 
years old, which I ascertain in this way : my father had is- 
sue by my mother four sons, in the following order : Traverse, 
William, Rawleigh and Samuel. From the register of our 
births, it appears there were about two years between our 
births. My mother died in child-birth, with Samuel, con- 
sequently I was not more than two years old at myrhother’s 
death. I well recollect travelling in a carriage with my 
father and mother, and that she wore stone or paste shoe- 
buckles. I also recollect my fathers purchasing some Dutch 
toys for our amusement. He presented William with a 
coach and horsey, and myself with a trumpet and drum. 
The coach was attached to a cat, which was turned loose in 
a spacious passage for our amusement, but making its escape, 
and attempting to pass through the grating of a cellar win- 
dow, demolished the coach. The drum and trumpet, which 
I remember stained my lips with yellow and red paint, were 
now transferred to William. Shortly after this my mother 
died, and the family was removed from “ Exeter Lodge,” to 
“ Hornby Manor,” on Rappahannock river, an estate which 
had been bequeathed by our good old Uncle, Daniel Hornby, 
to William and myself ; Samuel not being born at the time 


of the bequest. After our removal to the estate. 


^ recol- 



32 


lect a variety of circumstances not worth relating, but which 
are strongly impressed on my mind at this moment. 

My father died at “ Hornby’s Manor,” I think in 1752 or 
53 ; if so, I was not more than 3 or 4 years old when he died. 
I perfectly well recollect seeing my father’s corpse ; that I 
was in pelly-coats, or what was called a Bangan, made of 
Scotch tartan plaid. I recollect my father frequently rode 
me out before him on a pillow, and made the servant who 
attended me, carry his gun to shoot squirrels and crows, 
the scalps of which were paid in discharge of taxes, as I have 
understood. After the death of my father, William and 
myself were sent to live with Charles Beall, Esquire, one of 
the guardians appointed by my father, in conjunction with 
Major Traverse Tarpley. 

A Scotch gentleman, by the name of Richardson, was 
employed as our tutor. He was a most excellent man, and 
one of the Missionaries of the Scotch Society for propaga- 
ting the Gospef in America, he distributed a great number of 
religious books among the poor, and instructed their chil- 
dren on Holy Days. This good man taught me to read and 
write, and carried me as far as Eutropius in Latin. He 
made me read the Scriptures, and catechised me through the 
principal parts. He was very attentive to my moral conduct, 
and impressed me with a religious sentiment, which I have 
never forgotten. I am thoroughly convinced, from experi- 
ence and observation, through a pretty long life, that parents 
cannot commence too early, with the religious and moral ed- 
ucation of their children. 

At the age of fourteen I was considered a pretty good 
Latin Scholar for my age and opportunities. My guardian, 
Major Traverse Tarpley. now put me an apprentice to his 
brother, James, who was a member of an extensive business 
house i:h the City of Williamsburg, under the firm of Tarp- 



33 


i ley, Thompson & Co., the principal partners of which re- 
sided in Bristol, Old England. Here I remained between 
two and three years, acquiring but little knowledge in the 
line of my business. 

My principal friends were the students of William and 
Mary College, most of whom were, at the time, much more 
celebrated for their vices than their literary acquirements. 
I frequently fell into the dissipated habits of my compan- 
ions ; I read none, my mind was a blank, and no enquiry 
was made into my conduct by my guardian. 

The concern of Tarpley, Thompson & Co., being dissolved 
by the death of Tarpley, I now returned to my guardian, re- 
siding in Richmond County. He was very indulgent, and I 
was provided with a good horse, and went and came, when 
and where I pleased. After pursuing this idle dissipated 
life for twelve or eighteen months, I became perfectly dis- 
gusted with an idle life, and determined to apply myself. 

There was a gentleman in the neighborhood, who married 
a relative of mine. He was a man of sense and I boarded 
myself with him. After pretty close reading for twelve or 
fifteen months, I determined upon the study of Law. 
For this purpose I returned to Williamsburg,' and placed 
myself under the patronage of George Wythe, Esquire, to 
whom I was introduced and recommended by the Honor- 
able John Tayloe, and Prisby Thornton, the juvenile friends 
of my father. 

I studied with great attention for, three years, and having 
obtained a license, I commenced practice in Richmond and 
Northumberland Counties, but having to contend with three 
or four old practitioners, I got but little business— the fees 
were too small to engage an active mind, so I became dis- 
gusted with practice in a short time. An opportunity was 
afforded me of quitting the practice without reproach — the 

5 \ 


34 


Revolution commenced, and the Courts were shut up. With 
a view to meeting the event, I sold my patrimonial estate, 
and intended to enter the army, but having sold on credit, 
considerable portion of my property was lost by depreciation. 

The dispute between Great Britain and the Colonies hav- 
ing been fully discussed, the minds of all men were prepared 
to refer it to the “ Ultima ratio regnum.” The young men 
formed themselves into Independent Companies, were well 
armed, uniformed, and pretty well diciplined, at their own 
expense. The Immortal Washington was the avowed Pa- 
tron of the one to which I appertained. It was expected 
that those young men, who had been most prominent in 
preparation, would fill the first appointments in the Army. 

Being appointed by the Committee of Safety to proceed 
to Philadelphia, for the purchase of military accoutrements, 
I was absent the early part of the time, when Officers were 
named for the six new regiments, and although on the list 
of candidates for Lieutenant Colonel, my opponents, who 
were present, obtained a preference. Determined not to re- 
main an idle spectator, I received the appointment of Com- 
mercial Agent for the purpose of collecting military stores, 
from abroad, and for this purpose, settled at Cape Francois, in 
St. Domingo, and was connected with a house in Curocoa, 
where I sometimes resided. I returned to my native country 
in June, 1784, after having acquired an easy fortune. From 
that period until October, 1785 , 1 resided in the City of Rich- 
mond, where I married and returned to the County of Fred- 
erick, and became a farmer. In 1801 I removed to the 
county of Berkeley, and established myself at ‘Honeywood,” 
on the banks of the Potomac. 


Signed, RAWLEIGH COLSTON. 


35 


George Lynn Lachlan Davis, Esq., was employed by my 
father to search out the early history of the Hansons and 
Contees, from the wills in the custody of the Register of 
Anne Arundel County, with the following result : 


Baltimore Bar Library, 


December 27th, 1865. 


Dr. John Hanson Thomas, Baltimore. 

My dear sir : — At a season distinguished for cordial 
congratulations, and the most friendly sentiments of regard, 
when also many of us cherish with more than usual interest 
everything which relates to the memory of our forefathers, 
you will allow me to offer you this little memorial of your 
ancestry, on the side of the early Hansons and Contees, 
embodying the result of researches many years ago, with 
some additions made during a recent investigation at An- 
napolis in regard to another subject. 

The provincial history of many families can now be barely 
traced through the medium only of their early land titles, 
and most of the succeeding facts relating to the honorable 
family of Hanson, are derived from the old Rent Rolls of 
the Land Office, and from the tracts named in the wills, 
which were once preserved among the records of the Pre- 
rogative Court of the Province, but are now kept by the 
Register of Wills for Anne Arundel County. 

I have carefully examined all the wills in the Register’s 
office, over .the signature of Hanson, without reference to 
any particular family, from 1750 up to the year 1634 ; and 
it may interest you to know that the earliest ancestor of 
whom there is any trace, the grand-father of the President 
of the Continental Congress, bore the honored name of John. 
In his Will, which is dated the 12th day of December. I 7 IL 


(old style) he is styled “a planter” of Charles County. 



36 

ancestor, Alexander Contee, was one of the witnesses to the 
paper. It would seem that the Testator of 1713 had seven 
children : Robert, John, Samuel, Benjamin, Mary, Ann and 
Sarah. It would also appear that he had provided for most 
of them before the date of his Will. He also mentions his 
son-in-law, the Rev. Wm. Maconchie, the husband of Mary, 
and his grandson, Samuel Hanson. 

He bequeaths a large number of feather-beds, an article of 
luxury at that period. His home plantation is given to his 
son Robert, who was probably his oldest son. It was either 
adjacent to “ Betty’s Delight,” or it included that tract. 
The latter is described in Rent Rolls of Charles County, as 
beginning “ at a bounded oak, standing on the west side of 
Port Tobacco Creek, near the main road.” This plantation, 
including “ Betty’s Delight,” was devised by his son Robert 
to Robert, the grandson to John Hanson, testator of 1713 ; 
who had also in 1746 a great grandson named Robert. (See 
Will of John Hanson, 1713, Lib. U. W. B., No. 5, p. 719. 
Robert Hanson, 1746, Lib. D. D., No. 4, p. 412.) 

The Will of Samuel Hanson, whom I take to be the son 
of the preceding John, and father to the President of the 
Continental Congress, is dated (see Lib. D. D., No. 1, p. 
296,) in the year 1740. In 1734, O. S., (see Lib. T. D., p. 
271,) he, or another person of the same name, was the Com- 
missary for Charles County, an officer held at that period in 
much esteem. In 1739, (see Lib. D. D., No. 1, p. 348,) he 
was undoubtedly clerk of that County, an officer of the 
highest consideration. 

A mourning ring was bequeathed to him during that year 
by Alexander Contee, witness to the Will of the preceding 
John ^lanson, and one of your ancestors also, on the side of 
your great grand-mother Hanson. (See the last named Liber.) 
One of the witnesses to the Will of Samuel Hanson, was the 


37 


Rev. Theophilus Swift. The testator of 1740 names his 
sons, Walter, probably the oldest, and for whom it seems he 
had elsewhere provided, John and William, who seems to 
have been the youngest, his daughters Elizabeth, wife of 
Benjamin Douglas, Charity, Jane, and Chloe, and his wife 
Elizabeth. To his son Samuel he gives a “ Part of Green’s 
Inheritance,” and a “ Part of the addition to Hereford ” to 
his son John ; “ Hereford,” and the remaining part of “ The 
Addition,” to his wife Elizabeth ; a life estate in the home 
plantation, with the fee simple to his son William : at all 
events, an estate in remainder. He also gives his wife a life- 
estate in his water mill. The home estate of this ancestor 
was called “ Littlew T orth,” and was adjacent to one of his 
other tracts called “ Wilkenson’s Throne,” given also to his 
wife for the period of her own life ; the latter having been 
re-surveyed (see Rent Rolls of Charles County,) in 1734 for 
Samuel Hanson and Eleanor Wilkenson. 

About the period of Samuel Hanson’s death, his son 
Walter was the Commissary for Charles County; Walter is 
also mentioned in terms of great respect by Uncle Robert, 
the testator 1 746, who calls him his “nephew Walter Hanson.” 

John Hanson, the son of the testator, 1740, probably his 
second son, and at that period, if I may judge from your 
own family Record, about twenty-five years of age, was un- 
doubtedly the same person as the subsequent President of 
Continental Congress, and your great grand-father on your 
grand-mother Thomas’ side ; but it is not my design to 
state the degrees of relationship, or sketch the lives of emi- 
nent representatives of the family during his generation — 
and of still later periods — including the Judge of a State 
Court, a Chancellor of Maryland, a member of the United 
States Senate, and your own honored father, in n^y poor 
judgment, the most gifted of them all. 



v 



38 


I have simply attempted to throw some little light upon 
the history of your earliest ancestors, who were Colonists in 
the Province of Maryland. 

Of the supposed descent on the side of the Contees from 
a Prince of France, I say nothing whatever, as I am not ac- 
quainted with the genealogical Archives of that country. 
But certain it is, that the early Contees of Maryland were 
of a highly honorable origin. 

The Will of Alexander Contee, the father of your great 
grand-mother Hanson, is dated in 1739 and proved in 1741. 
At the period of its date he was the Clerk of Prince George’s 
County. The Will is a very interesting document. (See 
Lib. D. D., No. 1, p. 347.) It is also remarkable for the 
beauty of its style, and for the strongly marked individu- 
ality of the testator. A very large quantity of silver plate is 
bequeathed, including a “ silver punch bowl.” Mention is 
also made of a vineyard. The testator disposes also of a 
very extensive real and personal estate, including “negroes,” 
and many pounds sterling; mentions John, Peter, Jane, and 
several other of his children. Devises to Jane, his daughter, 
a tract in Baltimore County, called “Buck’s Range;” be- 
queathes mourning rings of one guinea’s value, and with the 
inscription, “ Remember A. Contee,” to Daniel Dulany, a 
great lawyer, Edmund Jennings, another eminent lawyer of 
the Provincial Bar, Philip Key, ancestor of the late Francis 
Scott Key, and other intimate friends ; desires to be buried 
according to the service of the English Church, and gives a 
guinea respectively to the Rector of St. Paul’s, in Prince 
George’s, and Port Tobacco Parish, in Charles County, with 
the request of them to preach a funeral sermon on “ Ye folly 
and Danger of ye Death-bed Repentance." 

It seems from the Will of the Honorable Colonel John 
Contee, a member of the Council of State, and who was 


39 


closely connected with the family of Governor Seymour, as 
well as with the Honorable Philip Lynes, that Alexander 
Contee was the nephew of the Councillor, and the son of 
Peter Contee, of Barnstable, Devonshire, England. (See 
will of the Hon. Col. John Contee, and the accompanying 
deposition in Lib. I. C. W. B., No. 2, 1706 to 1709.) Alex- 
ander, your lineal ancestor, was at the date of his uncle’s 
death, about seventeen years of age. The Will of the uncle 
throws so much light upon the state of Society at that 
period, and is so interesting in other respects, that I will 
venture to add the following memoranda: If we compare 
the fortunes of that period with those of .the present, we 
must infer that he was extremely wealthy. He disposes of 
vast bodies of land, and many rather small ones ; but for 
nothing is the Will more remarkable than for the tender affec- 
tion which it breathes for his relations and friends. He de- 
vises lands in Maryland to his brother Peter Contee, of 
Barnstable, the father of Alexander, and to his mother, Mrs. 
Grace Contee, the grand-mother of Alexander. He gives 
twenty thousand pounds of tobacco in cask, then a part of 
the currency of the Province, for the use of the ministry. 
To his dear and loving Mother, Mrs. Grace Contee, he be- 
queathes fifty pounds sterling for the purchase of mourning, 
and mourning rings for his relations and friends in England. 
And he gives valuable property to his three step-sons, called 
sons-in-law at that period, but the children of Mrs. Charity 
Coates, who probably died before his arrival in the Province. 

He devises also to Mary, his last wife, several tracts of 
land in Maryland, and to his dear and loving wife, he 
gives a large number of negroes, and all that portion of his 
estate not otherwise disposed of : such as money in England, 
tobacco shipped in any ship or ships, sent or to be ^ent, or 


now in ships, for any person 



40 


him in England, Maryland, Virginia and elsewhere, with 
plate and other household goods ; and also English servants, 
a term generally applied to redemptioners, while African 
servants were invariably known under the simple appella- 
tion of negroes, there being indeed at that period in our 
Provincial history, comparatively but little African slavery 
in Maryland. 

On the 3rd of August, 1708, the testator was helped out 
of the bed by Doct. Jackson, the Hon. Philip Lynes, Mr. 
John Rogers, and Madam Contee, and about three-quarters 
of an hour afterwards he cried out, “my heart strings are 
broke,” and died suddenly upon the seat, in the arms of 
Doct. Jackson, and of his cousin, the Hon. Philip Lynes, 
who had drawn up the Will but a few days previous. The 
will had also been approved by the testator, but unfortun- 
ately was left without the signature, and upon two occasions 
it would appear the question of validity was submitted to 
the Legislature. (See Bacon’s laws of Maryland, 1708, ch. 
13, and 1725, ch. 21.) 

The will of the Honorable Philip Lynes is recorded in 
Lib. J. C. W. B., No. 2, 1706 to 1709. In it he says: “ I 
give to Madame Seymour, (Madam Jane Seymour, the 
daughter I presume of the Governor,) Mrs. Mary Contee, 
my brother Capt. Thomas Seymour, and my friend William 
Bladen, each ten pounds sterling to buy rings and mourn- 
ing.” In several parts of the will he calls Mrs. Mary Contee 
his cousin. 

The will of Govenor John Seymour is dated 6th August, 
1709, and recorded in the same Liber. Judging from tradi- 
tion, and especially from two anecdotes never yet published, 
but long since reduced to writing, and now in my possession, 
he was the most haughty of all the early and late Governors of 
Maryland. “I give and bequeathe,” says he, “unto my dear 


4i 


cousin, Mrs. Mary Contee, twenty guineas to buy her a 
ring.” 

I have also some extracts sent many years ago to me 
from the Parish Records of Barnstable, from which it ap- 
pears that Peter Contee, the father of Alexander, was a 
chirurgeon, that the mother of Alexander was named Catha- 
rine, and that Alexander was baptized “ ye 22nd day of 
April, 1693.” 

I have no doubt the ancestry of Peter Contee could now 
be easily traced through the medium of the English Records, 
as the greatest difficulty in writing out a pedigree usually 
consists in discovering the connecting links between the old 
and the new world, and that point has already been attained 
in the case of the Contees. 

The following memorandum I made from an abstract of 
the Will of Alexander Contee, the Testator of 1739, and 
the father of Dr. John Hanson Thomas’ great grand-mother 
Hanson. 

The testator gives his son John several negroes, a feather- 
bed, bolsters, pillows, quilts, blankets, sheets, a suit of cur- 
tains and valance with head-cloth and testor, &c. Also his 
silver punch bowl, coroner, and large spoon, &c. 

To his son Peter, various negroes, his three silver casters, 
and eighty pounds sterling, &c. 

To his son Thomas, one of his casters, silver hafted knives 
and forks, and silver spoons. 

To his son Alexander, one case of silver hafted knives 
and forks, and silver spoons, with eighty pound sterling, &c. 

To his daughter Catharine, his silver candlesticks and 
snuffers, &c. 

To his son John, all his books of whatever sort soever. 

To many of his friends, rings of one guinea’s value each, 
with the inscription, “ Remember A. Contee.” 

6 



42 


To his daughter Grace, his two silver salvers, a feather- 
bed, &c. 

I regret the impossibility, during Christmas week, of bind- 
ing up this naked manuscript, and must therefore beg you 
to accept it in its present condition, in the hope, however, 
that you will allow me, upon future occasion, the privilege 
of binding it in some neat and substantial manner, but 
somewhat after the style of the antique. 

With the kindest compliments of the season, and my best 
wishes, at all times, for your happiness, 

I beg to remain, my dear Sir, Your friend and Serv’t, 

GEORGE LYNN LACHLAN DAVIS. 


The following obituary notices of Dr. Philip Thomas and 
John Hanson Thomas appeared in the “ Federal Republican ,” 
May i oth, 1815, on which occasion the paper was issued in 
mourning. It is supposed the first Obituary was written 
by Alexander Contee Hanson, Editor. 

A more distressing duty could not devolve upon us, than 
recording the death of John Hanson Thomas , who died at 
Frederick Town, Md., of the prevailing epidemic, on Tues- 
day, the 2nd of May, in the 36th year of his age. 

We are humbled by a sense of our incompetency to do 
justice to his fair fame and exalted worth. Had the de- 
ceased left his equal among his friends behind him, there 
would have been a master pen to delineate the peculiar 
qualities of his mind, and describe the various virtues that 
adorned his public and private character. To this faculty, 
and a general knowledge of mankind, derived from study, re- 


43 

flection, and personal observation, is to be ascribed his happy 
selection of friends. In making them the repository of his 
wishes and opinions, he knew how far each was to be trusted. 
Among the host of admirers and friends which a bright 
career of usefulness and dazzling success had drawn around 
him, few, very few, were found to deceive him. It is given 
to none to know with certainty who may not be impelled by 
ambition, jealousy or envy to abandon and betray a friend. 

Though reserved and austere in his appearance to men 
generally, among his particular friends his unaffected sim- 
plicity, playfulness and pleasantry were delightful, and were 
the genuine effusion of good humor and generous feelings. 
Without the slightest tincture of malignity, there was a spice 
of caustic sarcasm in his criticism, which gave a zest to his 
familiar conversations so exquisite that opportunities were 
sought to renew the gratification which few were permitted 
to enjoy. Indeed, there was a rivalry among his friends to 
engage and appropriate him exclusively to themselves. 
Such was the ascendancy he acquired over the minds of his 
associates, and the fast hold he had taken of their hearts, 
that his will and opinion expressed their wishes. He ruled 
through the affections, and when reasons were demanded, 
he led the judgment captive. None distrusted, while all who 
knew confided in him. It arose from a perfect knowledge 
that he was disinterested and unambitious. He was for his 
country and his friends, never for himself. His heart always 
in his hand, was so well known that his raillery, though it 
wounded, never offended. But the social gaiety and even- 
ness of temper, contributed so much to endear his con- 
versation, was not combined with one frivolous or superficial 
quality. He was gentle in his nature, but the firmness of 
his mind and the steadiness of his resolutions were not 
weakened by the mildness of his disposition. In all his prin- 


44 


ciples and doctrines, whether political, moral or religious, 
he was fixed and immovable. In each vicissitude, in every 
change of circumstance, 

“ He stood an iron pillar strong 
And steadfast as a wall of brass.” 

He was brought to his conclusions by sober inquiry and 
deep reflection, and therefore clove to his resolution with a 
steadiness and perseverance which opposition could not 
shake. 

The cause and circumstances of the death of so beloved 
and interesting an individual as Mr. Thomas deserve some 
notice. The dreadful malady which exacted the last debt 
of nature so prematurely, was contracted by the unwearying 
assiduity of his attentions to a dear and most exalted father, 
who died the week preceding. During his sickness, though 
constantly tortured with the most excruciating pain, he 
uttered not one repining word, but expressed an entire resig- 
nation in the will of Heaven. He shed not a tear, nor dis- 
covered the least agitation or sign of sorrow by his conver- 
sation, though surrounded by friends and relatives whose 
feelings were not to be commanded, and constantly at- 
tended by a loving and affectionate wife, agonized with 
grief and bearing in her womb another pledge of conjugal 
affection. He once expressed a wish to live another day to 
arrange his worldly concerns, in which he was gratified, and 
expired a little before the day closed. He once said, while 
the chief object of his earthly love was weeping by his side, 
“ Don’t do so ; you put me on the rack, and make us both 
act as if we were ignorant of our duties.” Appearing to be 
restless, a near relative inquired of him, “if his mind was un- 
easy.” He replied quickly, “No; I am happy, but what 
must be the condition of the unhappy? Which'course do 
you mean to take? ” 


45 


Shortly afterwards he was asked whether he wanted any- 
thing. He answered in tones of tenderness, “ I want my 
father.” He then said he was going, being almost strangled 
by the mucus, which secreted too fast to be thrown off. 
The friend who held his hand, burst into tears and said, 
“You carry with you, Thomas, the hearts and happiness of 
your friends, and are followed by the tears and regrets of all 
your acquaintances.” 

Among his last words there was not given but an expres- 
sion of his confidence in the promises of God in the most 
tender and earnest manner. He gave to two of his friends 
the advice to be expected from true piety and Christian 
benevolence. He also exhorted a little niece to devote her 
life to good works and the active promotion of virtue and the 
well being of her fellow creatures. Indeed, on the day of his 
death, after he had made his will, and felt also a perfect con- 
viction he had made his peace with his Maker, his conduct 
and conversation discovered the unmixed goodness of his 
heart and the real greatness of his mind. 

The circumstances attending the death of a great and 
good man, are so interesting and instructive, that they 
authorize still more minuteness, if it did not exceed the 
limits of an obituary notice. We have already been thus 
particular in recording parts of his conversation, because no 
death can have made a deeper, more lively, and, we hope, 
more lasting impression upon those who witnessed it. It 
was truly a scene of sorrow and affliction, and by drinking 
of the spirit of the deceased, may those who mPurn his loss, 
improve the awful providence of his sudden removal. For 
in him was displayed, in his dying moments, that genuine 
Christian humility which flows from a sense of the love of 
God, reconciled to man in his beloved Son Jesus, whose 
wounds for his transgressions, and bruises for his iniquities, 
purchased his redemption. 


46 


We cannot omit to mention that our brother, who has 
thus died in the lively hope of “ an inheritance incorruptible, 
undefiled, and that fadeth not away,” but a few short days 
before he threw off “ this mortal coil ” to appear before his 
God in the milk-white robe of immortality, was engaged by 
the side of a dying father in performing the last sad office of 
a minister of the Gospel, attending the sick. Delay in the 
arrival of the minister sent for to administer the sacrament 
to his father, occasioned uneasiness, lest his intellect should 
fail him, and it would be too late to partake with him of the 
Lord’s Holy Supper. The son, and victim of filial piety, 
fell upon his knees by his father’s bed-side, and in his own 
peculiar style of eloquence and religious fervency of zeal, 
poured out his soul in prayer, wringing the bosoms of all 
around him, and soothing for a time the bodily anguish of 
an expiring parent. A sudden flash of paternal love and 
admiration, for a moment, lighted up the dying countenance 
by kindling anew the recollection of an offspring’s virtues 
and talents, that promised so much usefulness, but the 
father sunk into the arms of death, and the son was marked 
for the same destiny. 

A biographer may do public justice to the public charac- 
ter of Mr. Thomas which will not now be attempted. In 
an age so eventful, his loss to his Country, and particularly 
to his native State, his friends will in vain attempt to esti- 
mate. They will always remember with admiration and 
gratitude, the able, distinguished, and intrepid part he acted 
in stemming the torrent of pernicious theory and a false 
philosophy. A magnanimous and Christian charity would 
hope that the fear, rancor, and hatred of his political adver- 
saries and faithless friends have gone with him to the tomb. 
Even party rancor and detraction, ever eager to devour the 
living, disdains to decry the dead. It was so with our be- 


. 

47 

loved Hamilton, and may the same remorse of conscience 
be felt for the deceased. 

“ Redeem’d from earth and pain, 

Oh, when shall we ascend, 

And all in Jesus’ presence reign 
With our translated friend.” 


\From Fredericktown Her aid \ 

Departed this life on Tuesday last, in the 68th year of his 
age, Doctor Philip Thomas. 

The various worthy and distinguished merits of this ven- 
erable and revered character, it cannot be expected, will be 
portrayed in an obituary notice. He was a native of Kent 
County, but removed to this place very early in life. Ar- 
dently attached to liberty and his country, he took a decided 
and active part in our revolutionary struggle, and was often 
elected by his fellow-citizens to represent them in the public 
councils. He was appointed by the great and good Wash- 
ington to an office under the general government, which he 
held for a number of years, and shortly after the establish- 
ment of the Medical Society of Maryland, he was chosen its 
President, in which situation he continued until his death. 
These several trusts he discharged with the most strict 
fidelity and integrity. 

As a physician, no man was more highly and deservedly es- 
teemed for his skill. No man was ever more beloved for his 
affectionate tenderness and unwearied attention to the sick. 
As a member of society, those who have been most inti- 
mately acquainted with his principles and motives of action, 
can attest their purity and correctness. 

As a man, and in all the relative duties of life, he was 


48 


a bright model of excellence, a kind neighbor, a warm stead- 
fast and immovable friend, an indulgent master, a most 
affectionate parent, and in all his dealings sternly and un- 
deviatingly just. In him the poor had always a friend, the 
oppressed found a protector, and friendless merit, a patron 
and defender. 

As a Christian, his conviction of the truth was the result 
of careful and candid examination, and was deep and rivetted. 
Fully persuaded that man was fallen, his nature corrupt, and 
that but for the salvation purchased for us by the merits 
and sufferings of a crucified redeemer, and the divine aid 
graciously afforded to the believing penitent in working out 
his salvation, his doom must have been eternal misery. 

His faith in all the distinguishing doctrines of the gospel 
was lively and sincere ; his hopes were founded on its 
promises, and his entire trust for salvation and happiness 
was in the mercy of God through the merits of Christ Jesus. 

He was, as his ancestors for ages had been, and as he has 
often been heard to express his hopes, that his posterity 
might remain to be members of the Protestant Episcopal 
Church, warmly attached to its doctrines, its government, 
its pure and evangelical services. He deeply lamented the 
many difficulties and disadvantages with which the religious 
denomination of which he wq.s a member, had to struggle 
in this nation generally, and more especially in the place of 
his residence ; and after witnessing with joy, and it is fondly 
hoped with gratitude to the Author of all good, the success 
of many efforts for its revival, it was the happiness of his 
declining years to have contributed in no small degree, to- 
wards the erection and completion of a convenient and 
elegant building in which its worship maybe performed, and 
the ordinance of our holy religion administered. But 
although he gave a decided preference to his own church, 


49 

and anxiously wished others to agree with him, yet he never 
presumed to dictate to any, but desired to live, and did live 
in peace and charity with all denominations of Christians. 

While he was very young he was deprived of his father, 
and to the more than parental care of a kind and affection- 
ate brother, he was indebted for his education and the 
means of his future usefulness. 

In the pursuit of his studies, and in qualifying himself 
for the exercise of his profession, he was obliged to exhaust 
the small patrimony which he received. Without friends, 
and in very delicate health, he left his native county, and 
with it the few valuable friends which remained to him, to 
settle among strangers. Of the kindness with which he 
was received and treated by many of them, it was his de- 
light always to speak. His professional merit soon pro- 
cured him an extensive practice, and although his constitu- 
tion frequently appeared to be entirely broken, and his 
friends often feared that they would soon be deprived of 
him, yet, by a life of most rigid temperance and self-denial 
and care, he was enabled to persevere in the practice of his 
profession, and at the advanced age of sixty-six, was in the 
enjoyment of better health, than in early life. It has now 
pleased Almighty God to take him from us — to remove him 
from this world of affliction and trouble — to rest from his 
labors. 

But few around him have had more of the blessings and 
comforts of this life ; but few have partaken in a greater de- 
gree of its bitterest sufferings ; but few have been more great- 
ful for the blessings which a gracious providence has been 
pleased to confer, or have submitted with a more pious and 
humble resignation to the severest chastisements. It will be 
the comfort and delight of his afflicted friends to remember, 
and it will be their duty to imitate his shining virtues. The 

7 



50 


separation, though painful, is but for a time. “In a moment, 
in the twinkling of an eye,” those who followed the remains 
of the deceased, may, like him, be a lifeless corpse. And 
the voice of the preacher was a warning from Heaven, even 
to the most young and healthful, and sounded in their 
ears the awful words, “ Be ye also ready." 

The remains of the deceased were, on Thursday evening, 
conveyed from his late dwelling to the new Episcopal Church, 
where the services of the Church were performed, and a very 
eloquent and most appropriate discourse was delivered by 
the Rev. Mr. Wyatt, of Baltimore. Afterwards the corpse 
was carried to the burying-ground, belonging to the congre- 
gation, attended by an unusually large concourse of friends 
and citizens. 


[. From Fredericktown Herald .] 

In our last paper the melancholy duty devolved upon us 
of recording the death of the late Dr. Philip Thomas. 
Death has again levelled his distructive shaft, and made a 
still wider breach in the circle of our society. It now be- 
comes our mournful duty to notice the death of John Han- 
son Thomas, Esq., who departed this life on Tuesday, the 
2d instant, in the 35th year of his age. 

Born in this town, and educated under the direction of his 
late most excellent father, his memory will ever be dear to 
those who have had the best opportunity of marking the 
progress of his virtues from his infancy, and to them his loss 
can never be supplied. In him nature seemed to have 
united the rarest qualities. A strong discriminating mind, 
improved by an excellent education, and deep reflection, em- 
inently qualified him for the pursuits of political life. The 
over-weaning influence, however, of pernicious opinions in 


5 


this, his native county, for a long time confined him to the 
walks of private life, and thus perhaps conferred an invol- 
untary favor upon him, by giving him leisure for the im- 
provement of his mind, until that period of life, when 
maturity of judgment, becoming united to the activity of 
youth, renders the politician doubly useful. Modest and 
unassuming in truth, he sought not of choice the paths of 
ambition, but when the wild career of theory jeopardized 
the best interests of his country, by the embargo, the ear- 
nest solicitations of his friends urged him forward to stem 
the torrent. 

Firm and decisive in his character, the stand he made was 
manly, nay noble. The fondest anticipations of his friends 
were surpassed, and his political adversaries cowered beneath 
his superior talents. The course which he pursued, in the 
Legislature of this State, is well known, and the State-papers 
which have proceeded from his pen, are the best documents 
of the clearness, strength and precision of his mind. The 
ineffectual efforts which have been made to exclude him 
from the Legislature of this State, whilst it speaks his worth 
and the dread entertained of his talents, also prove the in- 
fluence which eloquence, talents and virtue, gave him over 
the minds of the people. On him all eyes wefe fixed ; on 
him the destiny of his party seemed to hang. The influence 
he acquired in Maryland has never been equalled by so 
young a man. The confidence of all seemed centred upon 
him, because all knew him virtuous, and all believed him un- 
ambitious. His influence was rapidly extending over the 
State, and such were the qualities of his heart, that few in- 
stances occur, of a friend once made, forsaking him. Had 
the Federal preponderance continued in this State, he would, 
the next session of the Legislature, most probably have 


52 


been placed in the Senate of the United States, a station 
upon which his brilliant talents would have reflected lustre, 
but the ruthless hand of death has taken him from us, and 
where, oh ! where shall we supply his loss ? 

Removed from this career of splendid usefulness, however, 
it is not for public virtues, great as they were, for which we 
chiefly lament him.'- He has left a chasm in society which 
cannot be filled. A tender and affectionate son, he attended 
his father’s death-bed with unwearied assiduity, and when 
an unfortunate delay prevented the arrival of a clergyman, 
for whom they had sent, fearing that his father might not 
preserve his faculties unclouded, dropping upon his knees 
by his bedside, he poured out his soul in prayer to Heaven 
over his beloved parent in a strain of eloquence, which far 
surpassed anything which those present had ever conceived 
of his highest powers. Here he contracted the same dis- 
ease, in which there was the most striking coincidence. 
They were siezed on the same day of the week, the symp- 
toms were the same throughout the whole course of the 
disease, and at last death put a period to their sufferings on 
the same day of the week, and within ten minutes of the 
same hour of the day. The death of his father was a severe 
blow to him, but religion fortified his mind, and with a con- 
solation only known to the sincerely pious, he would have 
been resigned because it was the will of God. Accustomed 
to reflect deeply upon every subject, it was impossible that 
one so important as religion should have escaped him. His 
opinions on this subject were deeply rooted, and amounted 
not to what is usually called a deep sense of religion, and 
consists generally in nothing more than a respect for the 
opinions of mankind, or a belief in Christianity, founded up- 
on authority of a superficial enquiry, but, having read much, 
and reflected more, we can with truth say, his was a deep- 


53 

rooted, heart-felt sentiment of piety. Educated by his 
father in the Protestant Episcopal Church, nothing tempted 
him from his attention to public worship, or his devotion to 
his God. These feelings diffused themselves throughout 
his conduct and tempered all his actions. Hence flowed 
charity for all whom he believed honestly to differ from him 
in every opinion, indignation at vice, and an ardent zeal in 
the discharge of his duties. As a husband and a father, the 
delicate tenderness of his affection, and his quick perception 
of the wishes and inclinations of those he most loved, ren- 
dered him dear, oh, inexpressibly dear, to his family. The 
mildness of his manners and disposition, united as it was 
with firmness and decision, nay, intrepidity of character, 
endeared him to most who knew him. The warmth of his 
affections drew from his friends unbounded confidence and 
real love, while such was his intuitive knowledge of men 
that seldom was he deceived into a misplaced confidence. 
Rare, indeed, is it to find so much modesty and diffidence 
united with so much talent as he possessed ; but in familiar 
intercourse of his friends, when the course of conversation 
compelled him to speak of himself, and to give any credit 
whatever to himself, often have we seen the blush of mod- 
esty suffuse his cheek, and hurrying over the subject, betray 
in manhood the modesty of youth. Upon his well-balanced 
soul the love of praise excited only to duty, and preserved j 
him in the paths of virtue, whilst the court and compliments 
universally paid him, could never excite vanity to his unas- 
suming mind. Sprightliness and delicate wit pre-eminently 
distinguished his conversation with his more intimate friends, 
but his unassuming manners and character always retreated 
from particular observation, and to the superficial observer, 
who marked not the rapid changes of his expressive counte- 
nance, or the vivid flashes of his eye, he always made the 


54 


impression of a man either over-rated, of whose mind ranged 
not beyond the sphere of politics, whilst those who knew 
him, always considered the reputation he possessed far 
below his real worth. It was in the last moments of his 
life, however — in the last trying scene — when mortality is 
about to pay its last debt to immortality ; when man, about 
to resign all his earthly prospects, depends only upon that 
treasure which he had laid up in Heaven ; that his afflicted 
friends find consolation, nay, cause of triumph. 

His sufferings, from the very commencement of his* ill- 
ness until a few hours before his death, were indeed great ; 
but borne with uncommon fortitude, and in full reliance upon 
the mercy of his God, purchased by the blood of our Sa- 
viour, he was devoutly resigned to the will of Providence. 
At different times he spoke of his worldly affairs, and gave 
the necessary directions concerning them with the compo- 
sure of a man, “joyful to live, yet not afraid to die.” 

Soon after he became sensible of his illness, he expressed 
an earnest wish to receive the blessed sacrament of the 
Lord’s Supper, of which he had often before partaken, and 
for that purpose desired a clergyman of the Protestant 
Episcopal Church should be sent for. When the opportu- 
nity was afforded to him, and to his friends around him, he 
evidenced great joy and thankfulness, and his conversation 
at the time, though much interrupted by the severity of his 
sufferings, was full of instruction and comfort. He was fre- 
quent and most fervent in prayer, and his dying moments 
evinced the efficacy of that faith which in his early youth 
he is known to have embraced, and which at no period of 
his life was shaken. 

The loss of such a man and at such an eventful time may 
well be expected to produce a general grief. In the midst 
of our afflictions, however, we must not forget that this sad 


55 


event was the dispensation of Him whose goodness and 
wisdom and mercy, infinite as his power, and to whose will 
it is our duty to resign our own. 

The Father of all mercies has taken him from us; let us 
bow with reverential submission to his will. The days of 
our deceased friend have been numbered, and he is gone to 
receive the reward of his good deeds. Let us sorrow, but 
not as one without hope. It is the joy and delight of the 
pious Christian to remember that those separations, painful 
as they may be, are but for a short time ; that the severest 
afflictions with which a righteous God is pleased to visit, 
will, if used rightly, conduce to our everlasting salvation, 
and that when it shall please our heavenly Father, to re- 
move us from this world of sin and suffering, we may again 
enjoy the blessed society of our deceased friends, without 
those weaknesses and fears and sorrows which in this life 
disturb our greatest pleasure. 

On Thursday morning his remains were conveyed to the 
burying-ground of the Protestant Episcopal Church of this 
place. 


Dr. Philip Thomas and his son John Hanson Thomas are 
buried in the New Episcopal Burying Grounds at Frederick, 
Maryland. The following epitaphs appear on their tombs : 

South Side. 

Sacred to the memory of Dr. Philip Thomas, who died 
the 25th April, 1815, aged 67. 

East Side. 

Tenderly affectionate as a Husband and Father, sincere 
and ardent as a friend, a devoted patriot of ’76- Great and 


56 

humane as a physician, just and honorable in all his transac- 
tions — such was the character of the lamented deceased. 

North Side, 

For more than forty-five years he was laborious and zeal- 
ous in his profession. 

West Side. 

A Father and friend to the sick; his humanity knew not 
the distinction between rich and poor. He lived in com- 
munion with the P. E. Church, of which he was a zealous 
supporter, and relied for salvation upon the merits of Jesus 
Christ. 


East Side. 

Here lie the mortal remains of John Hanson Thomas, 
who died on the 2nd of May, 1815, in the 35th year of his 
age, of a disease contracted from an anxious attendance at 
the death-bed of his father, who died only six days before 
him, pouring forth blessings with his latest breath on his 
beloved son. 

North Side. 

Sincere, ardent and constant in all his affections, which 
embraced every relation of life, of the mildest manners and 
purest morals. Generous, just, firm and diligent in the ex- 
ercise of virtue, he fulfilled all the duties incumbent on man 
in a private station. 

West Side. 

He also bore a conspicuous part in public affairs, carry- 
ing to the public service a vigofous and cultivated mind, a 




57 

steady, yet temperate zeal, industry guided by prudence and 
great energy of character and conduct, supported by in- 
tegrity, chastened by modesty and softened by charity. 

South Side. 

In life and in death firm in Christian faith, he rested his 
hopes of eternal life on the merits of the Redeemer and the 
mercy of God. 

This frail monument of her husbands virtues, and of her 
own devoted love, is placed by his bereaved widow Mary 
Isham Thomas. 


The following is a certificate of membership of the Gild 
of Glasgow in favor of John Hanson; upon the back is a 
tree with a fish inverted, with the motto : “ Let Glasgow 
flourish.” It is executed upon parchment — 

At Glasgow the first day of April Seventeen hundred and 
fourty Eight years. The wJiich Day In Presence of the Right 
Honourable John Murdoch Esqr. Lord Provost of the said City 
George Murdoch. Colin Dunlop and James Clark Baillies thereof 
John Brown Dean of Gild , and sundry of the Gild Council of 
said City Mr. John Hanson mercht. in Maryland Virginia Is ad- 
mitted and Received Burgess and Gild Brother of the said City 
and the whole Liberties Privileges and Immunities belonging to 
an Burgess and Gild Brother thereof are granted to Him in 
most ample Form Who gives his Oath of Fidelity as Use is 
Extracted furth of the Gild Books of the said City By 

Jno. Me Gilchrist Dpt. Clk. 

The following is from a letter of Chief Justice Marshall 
upon the loss of his wife : 

8 



58 


December 25th, 1832. 

This day of joy and festivity to the whole Christian world 
is, to my sad heart, the anniversary of the keenest affliction 
which humanity can sustain. While all around is gladness, 
my mind dwells on the silent tomb, and cherishes the re- 
membrance of the beloved object it contains. 

On the 25th of December, 1831, it was the will of Heaven 
to take to itself the companion who had sweetened the 
choicest part of my life, had rendered to it a pleasure, had 
partaken of all my feelings, and was enthroned in the inmost 
recess of my heart. Never can I cease to feel the loss and 
to deplore it. Grief for her is too sacred ever to be pro- 
faned on this day which shall be, during my existence, de- 
voted to her memory. 

On the 3rd of January, 1783, I was united by the holiest 
bonds to the woman I adored. From the hour of our union 
to that of our separation, I never ceased to thank Heaven 
for this its best gift. Not a moment passed in which I did 
not consider her a blessing from which the chref happiness 
of my life was derived. This never dying sentiment, origi- 
nating in love, was cherished by a long and close observation 
of as amiable and estimable qualities as ever adorned the 
female bosom. 

To a person which, in youth, was very attractive in man- 
ners, uncommonly pleasing, she added a fine understanding, 
and the sweetest temper which can accompany a just and 
modest sense of what was due to herself. 

I saw her first the winter she attained the age of fourteen, 
and was greatly pleased with her. Girls then came into 
company much earlier than at present. As my attention, 
though without any avowed purpose, nor so open or direct 
as to alarm, soon became ardent and assiduous, her heart 
received an impression which could never be effaced. Hav- 


59 

ing felt no prior attachment, she became, at sixteen, a most 
devoted wife. All my faults, and they were many, could 
never weaken this sentiment. It formed a part of her ex- 
istence. 

Her judgment was so sound and so safe, that I have often 
relied upon it in situations of some perplexity. I do not 
recollect ever to have regretted the adoption of her opinion. 

I have sometimes regretted its rejection. From native tim- 
idity, she was opposed to everything adventurous ; yet few 
females possessed more firmness. That timidity so influ- 
enced her manners that I could rarely prevail on her to 
display in company the talents I knew her to possess. They 
were reserved for her husband and her select friends. 
Though serious as well as quiet in her deportment, she pos- 
sessed a good deal of chaste, delicate and playful wit, and, 
if she permitted herself to indulge this talent, told her little 
story with grace, and could mimic very successfully the 
peculiarities of the person who was its subject. She had a 
fine taste for belle-lettre reading, which was judiciously ap- 
plied in the selection of pieces she admired. This quality, 
by improving her talents for conversation, contributed not 
inconsiderably to make her a most desirable and agreeable 
companion. It beguiled many of those winter evenings, 
during which her protracted ill health and her feeble nervous 
system, confined us entirely to each other. I can never 1 
cease to look back on them without deep interest and re- 
gret. Time has not diminished, and will not diminish this 
interest or this regret. 

In all the relations of life, she was a model which those 
to whom it was given, cannot imitate too closely. As the 
wife, the mother, the mistress of a family, and the friend, 
her life furnished an example to those who could observe it 
intimately, which will not be forgotten. 



6o 


She felt deeply the distress of others, and indulged the 
feeling liberally on objects she believed to be meritorious. 
She was educated with a profound reverence for religion, 
which she preserved to her last moment. This sentiment 
among her earliest and deepest impressions, gave a color to 
her whole life. Hers was the religion taught by the Saviour 
of man : cheerful, mild, benevolent, serious, humane, intent 
on self-improvement, and on the improvement of those who 
looked to her for precept or example. She was a firm be- 
liever in the faith inculcated by the Church in which she 
was bred, but her soft and gentle temper was incapable of 
adopting the gloomy and austere dogmas which some of its 
professors have sought to engraft on it. 

I have lost her, and with her I have lost the solace of my 
life ; yet she remains still the companion of my retired 
hours — still occupies my inmost bosom. 

When alone and unemployed, my mind unceasingly re- 
curs to her. More than a thousand times sjnce the 25th of 
December, 1831, have I repeated to myself the beautiful 
lines written by General Burgoyne, under a similar afflic- 
tion, substituting Mary for Anna: 

Encompassed in an angel’s frame 
An angle’s virtues lay ; 

Too soon did Heaven assert its claim, 

And take its own away. 

My Mary’s worth, my Mary’s charms, 

Can nevermore return. 

What now shall fill these widowed arms? 

Ah me ; my Mary’s urn ; 

Ah me ; ah me ; my Mary’s urn. 


6i 


Letter from Daniel Webster to John Hanson Thomas: 

Washington, December 31st, 1814. 

Dear Sir : — 

I know you will pardon the liberty I take in addressing 
you, when I tell you my purpose is to congratulate you on 
the overthrow of the plan of Conscription, which has been 
brought forward in Congress. Feeling as if we had received 
in this event, a renewal of the lease of our liberties, and a 
prolongation of the old partnership of the United States, 

I wish to thank all those whose labors have contributed to 
these desirable ends, and among them I count the Federal- 
ists in your Legislature, and yourself particularly as the 
mover of their measures. 

Whatever had been, or could have been said in Congress 
in opposition to their divers plans of compulsory service, 
was not likely to produce the necessary effect. It was pub- 
lic opinion that destroyed the measure. The Bill had been 
passed in the House of Representatives and sent back to ' 
the Senate with amendments, to which the Senate objected, 
and returned the Bill to the House. The House would not 
depart from their amendments, and sent the Bill again to 
the Senate. The thing was thus thrown about from House 
to House, by votes to insist, and votes to adhere, till, finally, 
being before the Senate on Wednesday, Mr. King moved its 
postponement beyond the fourth of March, which was car- 
ried by a majority of one vote. 

It is understood that there had been for several days a 
determination of the Party not to pass the Bill, and that the 
only difficulty was to agree which House should strangle a 
brat which both had taken so much pains to nurse. You 
may rely upon it, here is an end of all conscription for the 
present. Some hot heads may be inclined to bring forward 
new projects of a similar sort, but a majority will not ven- 
ture upon them. 


62 

All that has been learned of public opinion from one end 
of the country to the other, has been warm and decided 
against these measures. It is time that party attachment 
* had stifled this sentiment in some degree and in some places, 
but really and truly there seems to have been but one opin- 
ion among the people. The proceedings of your House of 
Delegates were calculated to produce as much effect as any 
thing from without does. It was easy to accuse New Eng- 
land of a disposition towards schism and disunion, and to 
ascribe her opposition to measures to that temper. Your 
situation made it impossible to impute your votes to such 
designs. 

We are at present busy with the Bank. It will probably 
pass very much in the shape in which Mr. Dallas originally 
recommended it. This is not quite certain, but is probable. 
Our friend Hanson is expected from Baltimore to-morrow. 

I am, sir, with great respect, your obedient servant, 

DAN’L WEBSTER. 


Letter from Mrs. D. P. Madison, franked by President 
James Madison, to Mrs. John Hanson Thomas: 

Long after its date, dear Mrs. Thomas, I had the pleasure 
to receive your charming note, containing an emblem of con- 
stancy, which I have carefully put away with other valuables. 
I must tell you, however, that this magic flower was not 
necessary to remind us of one whom we so truly admire and 
whose visit, with her son, to Montpelier, is a bright gleam 
in our retrospections. 

I regret that Mrs. Grymes did not send it before she left 
our neighborhood, or inform me she had met you in Balti- 
more,. in order that I might have made inquiries after you, 
your estimable mother and your sister, and have learnt from 


63 


her whether you had left that place, or where I should ad- 
dress you. Being now at a loss, I shall' commit this to our 
friend, Doct. Dunglison. 

My dear Husband is better, after several spells of illness 
during the winter and spring. He is not yet well enough 
to ride out, but my hopes of his recovery revive, even with 
this small amendment in the state of his health. 

Will you accept from him, and from me, our united and 
affectionate salutations? 

May ist, 1835. D. P. MADISON. 


Letter from Governor Levin Winder to John Hanson 
Thomas, Chairman of Committee of Defence. 

In Council, January 3d, 1813. 

SIR : — We had the honor to receive your letter of the 20th 
of December, requesting “a communication of any views 
which may have occurred to the Executive, applicable to the 
objects before the Committee,” of which you are Chairman. 

We have already observed to the Legislature that this 
State, with the limited resources which it possesses, is un- 
equal to any extensive system of defence. At the last ses- 
sion of the General Assembly, it was found necessary to 
authorize the Treasurer to borrow a considerable sum of 
money. The greater part of this is now expended, and 
further sums can only be had by taxation or loan. With 
respect to the former mode of raising money, the taxes re- 
cently laid by the General Government will at this date be 
found peculiarly burthensome and oppressive, and when all 
trade is destroyed, and, as necessary consequences, the pro- 
ducts of their labour are reduced in price, and the necessa- 
ries of life enormously high, it would seem almost impossible 
for the people of Maryland to bear any additional burthens. ; 


6 4 

The money wanted for the defence of the State, we appre- 
hend, therefore can be obtained only by loan. It is difficult 
to determine to what extent we can calculate upon this re- 
source. A great part of that already negotiated is payable 
in a short time, and to preserve the credit of the State it is 
essential that some judicious system should be adopted, and 
ample funds pledged to secure the punctual payment of the 
interest, as well as the discharge of the principal, when due. 

Immediately after the Resolve of the Legislature, author- 
izing the borrowing of $450,000 was passed, the Treasurer 
was directed to inquire of the several Banks of Baltimore, 
and the Farmer’s Bank of Maryland, upon what terms and 
to what amount they could loan the State. The whole 
amount offered was only $425,000, of which the State bor- 
rowed $300,000. A greater sum might be probably.obtained 
at this time from these institutions, and from private indi- 
viduals. 

Adequate protection can be afforded only by the General 
Government, and when immense sums are to be drawn from 
the pockets of our own Citizens, a hope may be indulged, 
that a portion of it at least will be employed in the defence 
of our shores. 

It will be for the wisdom of the General Assembly to de- 
cide in what manner the claim of the State to protection 
from the General Government shall be made. We must be 
permitted to remark, that to give to our citizens any assur- 
ances of the ability of the State, without the aid of the 
National authority, to afford them adequate protection, 
would be to practice a cruel deception upon them. 

The State itself, so far as it may be compelled to engage 
in its own defence, must rely principally upon the Militia, 
and, therefore, every attention should be paid to the laws 
for its government. In addition to this, we must suggest 


65 


the propriety, if found necessary, of authorizing a small 
number of troops to be raised at the expense, and for the 
defence of the State. The advantage of having disciplined 
soldiers to co-operate with the Militia, when embodied, 
must be obvious. ' The expense, too, of that description of 
force would be much less than that incurred by calling out 
the same number of Militia. 

We have already recommended the encouragement of 
mounted volunteers. As there are in the State more corps of 
cavalry than can be employed, it would be proper to author- 
ize the Executive to accept of their tender of service as 
mounted Infantry. 

It will be necessary also to procure a sufficient number of 
tents, and other articles necessary for the accomodation of 
the Militia when in service. The State at present is misera- 
bly supplied in these articles, and from the want of them 
during the past season those of our fellow-citizens who have 
been upon tours of duty, have suffered greatly. 

We have the honour to be your obedient servant, 

LEV. WINDER. 

To John Hanson Thomas, Esq., Chairman of the Com- 
mittee on the defenceless and unprotected situation in 
which the State has been left by the General Govern- 
ment, &c., &c. 

Letter from Alexander Contee Hanson to John Hanson 
Thomas, relative to the re-publication of the “ Federal Re- 
publican ” in Baltimore: 

Rockville, Md., July 14, (1812.) 

My dear Friend : — 

******* 

My plans are at length arranged, and will be ready for 
execution on Monday week, but must be kept profoundly 

9 ! 


66 


secret. On Monday week the Federal Republican re-appears 
at Baltimore and Georgetown at the same time. A brave 
and trusty friend, of Baltimore, now with me, is to fortify a 
three-story brick house, surrounded with a brick wall, fifteen 
feet high, and it is to be garrisoned by a party from Mont- 
gomery, to be joined by twenty chosen fellows in Baltimore. 
We will live there a week, all things being prepared for our 
support, and comfortable entertainment, during which we 
will put the civil authority and the Washington Society up- 
on their legs again, or we will win laurels from the mob. 
We all went out to Anderson’s last evening, and finally set- 
tled our plans of operations. He at once said he was already 
pledged to go with me, and “ was not only willing, but anx- 
ious.” Lingan also declared himself ready, the evening 
before last. Now this is to beg of you to convey information 
to Colonel Lynn, to whom I am solemnly pledged to give 
notice in time for him to join us ; Rockville is to be the rally- 
ing point, and we all assemble Saturday evening in time to 
set out Sunday morning. Glory will crown our enterprise, 
and if we only kill as many of the mob, as they destroyed 
type, we shall certainly leave the Federalists of Baltimore in 
the majority. As soon as we arrive in Baltimore, and get 
into our Castle, a note will be dispatched to the Mayor, in- 
forming him of our arrival, of the street and number from 
which the paper will be issued, and of my determination to 
defend the house at every extremity. It will be the proudest 
moment of my life, when I take possession of the house, and 
each man has his place assigned him. When I see you, all 
our plans will be unfolded, meantime apprize Lynn and be 
close. I have pledged myself to the Baltimore party, to be 
up on the day appointed, if only ten men join me. The 
standard being once erected in Baltimore, there will be no 
difficulty in getting men, they will flock to it, when they see 


67 

us able and determined to defend ourselves. The main 
point will be, to keep out of our garrison, men who will 
come there to preach moderation, and damp our ardor. As 
I shall take care of the house and shall place it under the 
direction of Lingan, the discipline and formality of a garri- 
son shall be observed. 

I am impatient for the hour to arrive ; what a triumph we 
shall gain over the Democrats ; what an example we shall set 
the Federalists; what will Madison and his minions think 
when they hear that Hanson is issuing his paper from a for- 
tified and regularly garrisoned house ? My bosom is a very 
furnace. 

Yours ever faithfully and affectionately, 

A. C. HANSON. 


Letter from John Hanson Thomas, to his wife, relative to 
to the mob and massacre in Baltimore, July 28th, 1812. 

Thursday Evening, (July 30th, 1812.) 
******* 

I have fearful tidings to communicate from Baltimore — 
yesterday was a day of dreadful intelligence to us. In the 
morning we heard, and the account was confirmed by two of 
the party who arrived at Frederick, that Alexander Hanson 
and his friends, to the number of twenty-two, after having 
repelled and killed several of the mob, who made an attack 
on the house on Monday, when the paper was issued, were 
induced by the treachery of the civil authorities and the 
weak advise of General Lee, contrary to Hanson’s solemn 
exhortation and prophetic resolution to surrenderthemselves 
prisoners; and were marched to the Jail under the most 
solemn assurances of the .Mayor and General Strieker; 


68 


that they should be protected, and that in violation of this 
sacred pledge, they were left without a guard, and all brutally 
sacrificed, with the exception of only five, who escaped. 

In the evening my sister and Mary Hanson came in the 
stage and brought intelligence, that several of those whom 
the mob believed they had murdered, notwithstanding the 
most brutal, savage cruelty, exercised on their bodies, w r ere 
still alive; that the poor, noble, gallant Hanson, was among 
the number who might live, and that Dr. Alexander was 
bringing him up in a hack. At sunset a party of us left 
town and came to Dr. Warfield’s. At 3 o’clock in the morn- 
ing we found three of our friends, who had been brought up 
here, in the most horrid condition, and that Hanson was 
fifteen miles below, at Judge Ridgely’s. 

We had found Mrs. Hanson at the Poplar Springs, in a 
state of wretched uncertainty, but while we were with her | 
a messenger arrived from Judge Ridgely’s, with news from 
her husband, desiring her to meet him at Dr. Warfield’s to- 
day. We pushed on, collected a military party at Dr. War- 
field’s, and proceeded this morning to Judge Ridgely’s, from 
whence we brought poor Hanson and a mangled friend up 
to the Doctor’s, about an hour ago, where we met his family 
and four other associates lying here in the most horrible and 
shocking condition, but they are in the most benevolent 
quarters, and I pray to God may survive. 

I have not time for particulars, and had intended to go to 
Frederick to-night, and go on to Honeywood tomorrow, ap- 
prehending that intelligence might reach you, which might 
occasion alarm, but being in a perfectly safe and comfortable 
place, and not having slept any last night, my friends insist 
upon it that I ought to take rest, and one of them has un- 
dertaken to send this letter to-night, for the boys to carry 
up to-morrow. I have consented reluctantly to stay, though 


6 9 

I believe if you could direct me, you would insist upon my 
not venturing out to-night, to endure further fatigue. 

General Lingan has died of his wounds — he was most in- 
humanly butchered. This moment a letter from Baltimore 
states that General Lee, who was supposed desperate, may 
possibly survive ; all of them were brutally, most brutally 
mangled, in a manner that would not be thought credible 
in this Country, and which, when I come to relate to you the 
particulars, as I hope to do in a few days, you will agree with 
me, perhaps, that it is worse even, then anything you have 
read of the revolutionary hell-hounds of France. Had 
Hanson not been overruled by poor Lee, he would have 
brought off his whole party completely safe and triumphant ; 
even as it was, when the mob broke into the cell of the 
prison,- such of his friends as escaped, were indebted to his 
presence of mind and intrepidity in knocking out the light 
in the mob’s hands, and mixing among them. After the 
ruffians had supposed Hanson entirely dead, they tried the 
most shocking cruelty upon him to see if he would move ; 
but here again his wondrous extraordinary fortitude and 
self-possession, in the midst of excruciating torment, saved 
him, for he neither supplicated, looked, breathed or moved. 
His escape, and the escape of others, if under the mercy of 
God it proves to be an escape from death, is miraculous. 

I enclose you the paper which was issued on Monday, 
when in the morning near two hundred new subscribers from 
the neighboring counties, and a list from Massachusetts of 
five hundred, I am told, were sent to the office. I am told, 
I say, for the poor fellow can hardly speak himself. 

In this situation, and the wretchedness of his poor wife, 
I confess I should not know how to leave them this even- 
ing. Charles Hanson is here, and the house is crowded 
with friends. This dreadful account will probably prevent 


70 


our Court from sitting long. Frank Key was here to-day, 
and has gone on in quest of more certain information of 
Daniel Murray, who is one of the suffering victims. 

* * * Yours affectionately, 

J. HANSON THOMAS. 


The following letter was written by John Hanson, Chair- 
man of the Committee of Safety, Frederick County, and 
presented to John Hancock, the President of Continental 
Congress, by Thos. Johnson, one of the Delegates from the 
State of Maryland. 

Frederick Town, Frederick Co., Md., 

November 24th, 1775. 

Sir /—I am directed by the Committee of Public Safety, 
of this county, to transmit to you copies of the examina- 
tions of Allen Cameron, John Smith, and John Connelly, 
and a letter to one John Gibson, of Fort Dunmore, from 
Connelly, and Lord Dunmore’s speech to “ White Eyes ” 
(of the Delaware tribe of Indians,) and proposals by Con- 
nelly and General Gage, of Boston, for the raising of an 
army for the destruction of the Liberties of the Colonies. 
Any order relative to the prisoners will be strictly observed. 
The Committee and inhabitants of this county being de- 
termined to pursue every measure which the Congress may 
recommend to them, and necessary for the preservation of 
these colonies at this time of imminent danger. 

I am, sir, with great respect, 

JOHN HANSON, 

To the Congress. Chairman. 


7 1 


From John Hanson to Dr. Philip Thomas, 

Philadelphia, February 28th, 1781. 

Dear Doctor: 

I congratulate you on the important blow given by Count 
D’Estaing to the British fleet of the Western Islands — an ac- 
count of which you have in the inclosed paper — the same 
intelligence comes by ^ vessel just arrived here from 
Havana, and I believe the truth of it may be depended upon. 
Our affairs to the Southward brighten fast ; it is to be hoped 
a good account will be shortly given of Master Cornwallis, if 
General Green can avoid coming to a general action for a 
few days. I think Cornwallis’ army must be destroyed. 
The English ships are blocked up at Portsmouth by a sixty- 
four and two French frigates. A detachment from the 
main army of about fifteen hundred men are on the march, 
commanded by the Marquis de Lafayette, destined for 
Portsmouth ; their route by way of the head of Elk, and 
from thence by water. It is to be hoped that the State of 
Maryland will give all the assistance they can in this enter- 
prise; they have some armed vessels at Baltimore and An- 
napolis, and men surely may be had. This expedition has 
endeavored to be kept secret, but I believe to no purpose ; 
however, you will be cautious to whom you mention it.. I 
would not choose it should be known you have it from me. 

The extravagant price of goods here, especially white 
broad cloth, made me hesitate for some time whether you 
would be willing to have them on such terms or not, but as 
there is no possibility of their being cheaper, and consider- 
ing the necessity you may conceive yourself under, of having 
the cloth, I have sent it with the other articles for Jane, an 
account of which you have below : 

yards superfine white broad-cloth, @ $1200, $3000 

y 2 yard blue kersamers, ----- 300 


72 


56 

2 47 /^ 

go 

120 
1200 

$5013^ 

By 30 new dollars @ 75, $2250. * 

Yours truly, 

JOHN HANSON. 


1 double thick twist, - 
2 yards blue durants, @ $1 10, 
“ gauze scotch, @ 60, 

1 yard silk gauze, 

1 hat, ----- 


From John Hanson to Dr. Philip Thomas. 

Philadelphia, October 2nd, 1780. 

Dear Doctor : 

******* * * 

The following is an extract of General Gates’ letter to 
General Washington, dated 3rd inst. : 

“ I had the honor the day before yesterday, to receive 
your Excellency’s letter of date the 8th August, from Orange 
Town. It gives me infinite satisfaction to find you had 
baffled Sir Henry Clinton’s designs, and was to all appear- 
ances in so prosperous a condition. Heaven grant you the 
greatest honor and success. If I can yet render good service 
to the United States, it will be necessary it should be seen, 
that I have the support of Congress and your Excellency ; 
otherwise some men may think they please my superiors by 
blaming me, and thus recommend themselves to favor. 
But you, sir, will be too generous to lend your ear to such 
men, if such there be, and will show your greatness of soul 
rather by protecting than slighting the unfortunate. If on 
the contrary, I am not supported, and countenance is given 



73 


to every one who will speak disrespectfully of me, it will be 
better for Congress to remove me at once from a command, 
where I shall be unable to render them any good service ; 
this, sir, I submit to your candor and honor, and shall cheer- 
fully await the decision of my superior. With the warmest 
wishes for your prosperity, and the sincerest sentiments of 
esteem and regard, I am, &c.” 

How is the mighty fallen, and the proud humbled; who 
could have expected such humiliating language from the 
man who aspired to be placed at the head of our army, and 
to the man, too, whom he had endeavored to supplant ? 

The enclosed letters will inform you of the most horrid 
plot that ever was conceived by the heart of man, and had 
it succeeded, would have been a most fatal stroke to the 
liberties of America. The fort at West Point was not only 
to have been delivered up to the enemy, but our worthy 
General was also to have been put into their hands. The 
General that day came to Arnold’s quarters, which was at 
Robinson’s house, on the opposite side of the river from the 
Fort, where he intended to have stayed that night. A 
number of men who were prepared for the purpose were to 
have surrounded the house in the night, and carried him off, 
but thank God, all has been prevented by apprehending the 
villain Andre, who I hope will shortly be executed. 

Though we were led to believe that the great prepara- 
tions for a large embarkation of troops at New York, was 
intended to operate against Rhode Island, or to the South- 
ward, it now appears their object was West Point. The 
French fleet is not arrived yet, and as the season is so far 
advanced, it is not probable, I think, they will come at all ; 
indeed, I don’t see any great good could be expected from 
them, unless they were to go to the Southward. I never 
io 




74 


was very sanguine in my expectations against New York, 
and it is now too late to attempt the taking of that place. 

Yours affectionately, 

JOHN HANSON. 


From John Hanson to Dr. Philip Thomas. 

Philadelphia, October ioth, 1780. 

Dear Doctor : 

********* 

Andre was hanged on Monday last. He made no discov- 
eries. He was asked at the gallows if he had anything to 
say. His answer was, that he was not afraid to die; that 
he was prepared for it, but was concerned at the manner ; 
he would much rather have been shot ; desired that it might 
be taken notice that his behavior at his execution was such 
as became a gentleman and a soldier. He was dressed in a 
new suit of regimentals with his sword by his side. His 
friend Smith, it is said, will share the same fate in a few 
days. Old Franks, of this city, is taken upon suspicion of 
treasonable practices and imprisoned. His son, one of 
Arnold’s aids, it is said, is gone off. 

On the 5th inst., the Commander-in-Chief, by a resolve 
of Congress, is directed to order a court of inquiry on the 
conduct of General Gates, and to appoint an officer to take 
command of the Southern army until such inquiry be made. 
Some honorable notice will be taken of the Baron de Kalb, 
who fell so gloriously in the cause of America ; and the 
thanks of Congress will be returned to Generals Smallwood 
and Gist, and to the officers and men under their command, 
for their conduct and bravery in the late action near 
Camden. 


75 

All expectations of the arrival of the French fleet are at 
an end. Ternay, by erecting fortifications on different parts 
of Rhode Island, has secured his fleet and the army against 
any attempts of the enemy ; this being the case, and Clinton 
having failed in his designs against West Point, it is more 
than probable his next object will be to the southward ; the 
climate is favorable for a winter campaign, and a considera- 
ble number of men may be spared from New York without 
hazarding that place, as no attempt can be made by us on 
that place with any prospect of success, while the enemy is 
so far superior at sea. 

Please tell Toney to get his horses fat, or I shall be much 
displeased when I return. 

Yours, 

JOHN HANSON. 


From John Jay (formerly Chief Justice of United 
States,) to Dr. Philip Thomas. 

Bedford, West Chester Co., 

State of New York, 2nd Sept., 1807. 

Sir : — I have received from Mr. Coleman, your letter of 
the 24th of July, enclosing an oration delivered by your son, 
at the request of the Washington Society, on the anniver- 
sary of our Independence ; it should have been answered 
immediately, but sickness constrained me to postpone 
writing. 

Accept my acknowledgements for the marks of esteem 
and respect with which you honor me, and for the pleasure 
with which I have read the oration ; it exhibits indications 
of genius and eloquence, which naturally afford cordial satis- 
faction to an affectionate parent, and I congratulate you on 
the prospect of your having similar and repeated gratifica- 
tions. 



;6 

With the best wishes that this prospect may be realized, 
and that you and your son may be blessed with many years 
and opportunities to promote and enjoy each others happi- 
ness, I have the honor to be, 

Sir, your most obedient servant, 

JOHN JAY. 

“ V 

Obituary of Mrs. Elizabeth Colston. Died at Honey- 
wood, in the County of Berkeley, Va., on Friday the 24th 
inst., Mrs. Elizabeth Colston, relict of Rawleigh Colston, 
Esq., in the 86th year of her age. This lady was the eldest 
sister of the late Chief Justice Marshall, whom she strongly 
resembled in many respects, particularly in the directness 
and perfect simplicity of her character. Of uncommon clear 
and vigorous mind, she used every faculty, not to magnify 
herself, but humbly to direct her to the proper discharge of 
every social and moral virtue. As a wife, parent, mistress, 
relation, neighbor and friend, she attracted the love and 
esteem of all who approached her. More especially was 
her Christian character marked and decisive, seeming to 
strengthen as her physical powers decayed. From the mid- 
dle of the preceding month, she had been confined to her 
bed, and suffered much pain. Throughout the whole she 
was perfectly resigned to the will of God; yet constantly 
praying, if it were His will, she might be permitted to depart 
and go hence. It was natural that her devoted family 
should pray for her recovery, but this she requested them 
not to do, as her strongest desire was to be with her Lord 
in whom she trusted. She retained her self-possession to 
the last, and although she seldom spoke voluntarily, yet 
always when addressed, returned direct and appropriate 
answers. Her surrounding friends, therefore, had from her- 



77 


self the comfortable assurance that all her thoughts and all 
her hopes were placed on Jesus. She was evidently engaged 
to within a quarter of an hour of her dissolution, in prayer, 
and passed without a groan or struggle from time into eter- 
nity, leaving to those who witnessed it, a beautiful example 
of the peaceful death of the righteous. 


The following is taken from the family Bible of Dr. John 
Hanson Thomas : 

John Hanson, born 1715, died 1783, aged 68. 

Mrs. Jane Contee Hanson, died 21st February, 1812, in 
the 85th year of her age, being 84 in the September pre- 
ceding. 

Catharine Contee Hanson, born 1 6th November, 1744. 

Jane Contee Hanson, born 23rd February, 174 7, died 17th 
June, 1781. 

Alexander Contee Hanson, born 22nd October, 1749, died 
1806. 

Elizabeth Hanson, born 9th December, 1751, died 12th 
October, 1753. . 

John Hanson, born 1 8th March, 1753, died 6th March, 

1 760. 

Samuel Hanson, born 25th August, 1756, died 29th June, 
1781. 

Peter Contee Hanson, born 9th December, 1758, killed at 
Fort Washington, November, 1776. 

Grace Hanson, born 19th September, 1762, died 10th 
August, 1763. 

[The above was written by John Hanson, with the excep- 
tion of the first two.] 

John Hanson Thomas, born 16th May, 1779, and Mary 
Isham Colston, born 23rd January, 1789; married by the 


Rev. Mr. Belmain, Thursday, 5th October, 1809, and had 
issue : 

Philip Hanson Thomas, born 10th September, 1810. • 

Rawleigh Colston Thomas, born 12th August, 1812. 

Charles Edward Thomas, born 23rd September, 1813. 

[The above was written by John Hanson Thomas.] 

John Hanson Thomas, Junior, born 13th May, 1815, died 
July 29th, aged 2 months, 16 days. 

John Hanson Thomas, Senior, died May 2nd, 1815, aged 
35 years, 11 months, 16 days. 

Philip Hanson Thomas, died November nth, 1821, aged 
1 1 years, 2 months and 1 day. 

Rawleigh Colston Thomas, died June 16th, 1826, aged 
13 years, 10 months and 4 days. 

[The above was written by Mrs. M. J. Thomas.] 

John Hanson Thomas, whose name was changed from 
Charles Edward, born 23rd September, 1813 ; and Annie 
Campbell Gordon, the daughter of Basil Gordon, Esq., of 
Falmouth, Virginia, born 29th October, 1819; married by 
Rev. Mr. Maguire, on Wednesday, 15th November, 1837, 
at Falmouth, and have issue: 

Bazil Gordon, born Sunday, April 14th, 1839. 

John Hanson, born Tuesday, September, 21st 1841. 

A girl, born October 18th, 1843. 

Raleigh Colston, born October 8th, 1844. 

Douglas Hamilton, born January 1st, 1847. 

Annie Gordon, born May 20th, 1849. 

Mary Randolph, born October 10th, 1851. 

John Marshall, born Monday, December 5th, 1853. 

[The above was written by Dr. John Hanson Thomas.] 


Heraldic (Description of Coats of Arms : 

THOMAS. 

Arms. — S able, a chevron, ermine, a canton of last. 

CREST. — A demi-unicorn, ermine, armed and .crined, or, 
supporting a shield of sable. 

Motto'. — “ Virtus invicta gloriosa.” 

GORDON. 

Arms. — Azure, three boars’ heads, erased, or. 

CREST. — A boar’s head as in the arms. 

Motto. — “Forward without fear.” 

[Note. — Our family have always used the motto: “Animo non 
astutia,” but from certain information, and from a careful examina- 
tion of the subject, I am convinced it is wrong, and have therefore 
taken the liberty of correcting it. — Douglas H. Thomas.] 

KNOX. 

Arms. — Gules, a falcon volant, argent, within an orle, 
wary, argent. 

Crest. — A falcon perched ; supporters: two falcons, wings 
expanded, ducally gorged, chained, beaked, taloned, or. 

Motto.— “ Moreo et profitior.” 

HANSON. 

Arms. — Azure, a cross battone6 (or cross treffles, fr.), or 
cantoned by four fleur de lis argent. 

Crest. — A martlett, proper. 

Motto. — “ Sola virtus invicta.” 

CONTEE. 

Arms. — Gules and azure, a chevron, ermine between three 
i wolves passant, or. 

COLSTON. 

Arms. — Argent, between two dolphins, haurient respect- 
ing each other, an anchor, all proper. 

CREST. — A dolphin, embowed, proper. 

MOTTO. — “ Go and do thou likewise.” 



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